Spinal cord stem cell grafts in pigs

Spinal Cord Injury Neuronal precursor cells (NPCs) hold promise for treating spinal cord injury. Testing viability and engraftment properties of NPC transplants in large animal models is essential for understanding the clinical potential of this approach. Strnadel et al. transplanted syngeneic and allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cell–derived NPCs (iPSC-NPCs) into the spinal cords of naive pigs and pigs with spinal cord injury. The transplanted cells showed a good safety profile, long-term survival, and differentiation into mature neurons and glial cells. Successful engraftment of allogeneic iPSC-NPCs required only temporary immunosuppression, an important consideration for the future clinical evaluation of iPSC-NPCs for treating spinal injuries. Sci. Transl. Med. 10 , eaam6651 (2018).