Microsecond electric pulses effects in spinal cord injuries: results from RISEUP project

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), a major cause of paralysis, currently has no effective therapies. Every year almost 500.000 people are diagnosed with SCI worldwide. he difficulty on the neuronal restoration after SCI is based on the complex cascade of events that inexorably cause a degenerative chronic stage mainly favored by the non-permissive environment and limited capacity for axonal regrowth. RISEUP, an Europen project, proposes to attain neuronal functional regeneration after SCI by an unprecedented and unique bio-hybrid-compatible electro-activated and wireless rechargeable implantable technology. RISEUP introduces high voltage microsecond electric pulses stimulations and low amplitude direct currents on a combination of stem cells, induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) and multipotent stromal cells (MSCs), whose transplantation is facilitated by an innovative scaffold biomaterial (Fig.1).