Non-invasive nanotherapeutics to modulate neuroinflammation after spinal cord injury (RPA Pilot / Seed Project)

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) results in an initial primary injury, followed by secondary events that exacerbate the damage. Secondary injuries can include oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, and excitotoxicity for the first minutes, hours, and days after injury, which create an inhibitory environment. Regeneration is limited due to additional damages to the adjacent tissue and an inhibitory environment, leading to various neurological deficits. Our long-term goal is to develop novel acute intervention strategies that limit secondary damages and create an environment that promotes recovery after SCI. Specifically, we propose to develop a non-invasive acute nanoparticle (NP)-based therapeutic platform with the goal of reprogramming innate immune cells before their extravasation to the injury to attenuate secondary events, thereby facilitating recovery after SCI.