Effective Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries using Nanogel Technology

A recent research has brought to attention a ground-breaking nanogel, capable of directly transferring anti-inflammatory drugs to glial cells, offering hope in the healing of spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.

These revolutionary nanogels created by researchers have displayed the potential to target glial cells when treating spinal cord injuries, paving the way for new therapeutic intervention possibilities.

A study, published in Advanced Materials, by researchers Pietro Veglianese, Valeria Veneruso, and Emilia Petillo from Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, working hand in hand with Filippo Rossi of Politecnico di Milano, has shown that the cutting-edge nanovector (nanogel), which they invented, is capable of delivering anti-inflammatory drugs in a targeted fashion into glial cells that play a significant role in spinal cord injury, a condition leading to paraplegia or quadriplegia.

Existing treatments which modify the inflammatory reaction induced by the component controlling the brain's internal environment post spinal cord injury have demonstrated limited efficiency. This is also attributed to the absence of a therapeutic method that can selectively engage with microglial and astrocytic cells.

Nanogel - Illustration of selective drug treatment in the central nervous system. Credit belongs to: Politecnico di Milano - Istituto Mario Negri.

The nanovectors formulated by Politecnico di Milano, named nanogels, are composed of polymers that can attach to particular target molecules. In this particular situation, the nanogels were created to bind with glial cells, which play a pivotal role in the inflammation post acute spinal cord injury.

The joint efforts of Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano demonstrated that nanogels, filled with a drug having anti-inflammatory properties (rolipram), were successful in transforming glial cells from a destructive state to a protective one, actively aiding in the regeneration of damaged tissue.

Nanogels were observed to have a selective impact on glial cells, releasing the drug in a targeted way, amplifying its impact, and minimizing potential side effects.

"The major breakthrough in the research was comprehending the functional groups that can selectively aim nanogels within specific cell populations," explains Filippo Rossi, professor at the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering 'Giulio Natta' at Politecnico di Milano. "This enables us to refine drug treatments by lessening unwanted effects."

"The findings of the research," adds Pietro Veglianese, Head of the Acute Spinal Trauma and Regeneration Unit, Department of Neuroscience at Istituto Mario Negri, "demonstrate that nanogels lowered inflammation and boosted recovery potential in animal models with spinal cord injury, partially restoring motor function. These results herald new therapeutic potential for myelolysis patients. Furthermore, this method may also be fruitful for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, wherein inflammation and glial cells have a substantial role."