Local researchers to use nature’s resources to treat spinal injury

Words Emily Perkins Image ACES

 Spinal cord damage is a debilitating injury that is caused by trauma, disease, or degeneration and affects half a million people every year. When a spine is broken, a gap forms and blocks nerve impulses from getting through. As a result of such damage, people can suffer paralysis, chronic pain, loss of bladder and bowel control, and other serious health issues. Besides the physical impact, spinal cord injuries cost Australians at least $2 billion annually. However, in our own backyard, University of Wollongong researchers are collaborating with a global team to tackle this issue and improve people’s lifestyles. Professor Gordon Wallace, Executive Research Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science based at UOW and Director of UOW’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, will be leading the Australian team.

Building on three decades of research in the area of tissue engineering and biomaterials, a global multidisciplinary team will be developing a biomaterial bridge to help regrow nerve fibres in the spine. Professor Wallace is very excited by this, as the team will be looking to progress spinal cord regeneration in a way that’s never been done before.

“This is just amazing. It’s not very often that the planets line up and you get people with complementary skills from across the globe, each world leaders in their field, and they come together for a common purpose in trying to take on this big challenge of spinal cord injury,” says Professor Wallace. “It’s definitely the first time that we’ve come together with the real target to deliver a clinical solution here. It’s not just about advancing in the area of research, although of course we will do that, but we have a real vision to deliver some clinical and practical outcomes.”

Named the Mend the Gap Project, it will aim to inject a soft gel made up of biomaterial that will cause a natural regeneration response, instead of replacing the damaged area of the spine with something else.

 “We’re trying to facilitate the natural biological processes that will regenerate that damaged area and hopefully regenerate it in a way that it comes back to functioning as it was, or as close to as possible, before the injury,” explains Professor Wallace.

Professor Wallace’s team will help with the selection of materials as well as the delivery of drugs to the site of injury. “We will protect the nerves that have survived and to promote growth of those nerves, and to work against scar formation,” says Professor Wallace. “We have all of the facilities available to do that in Wollongong,”

The team plans to use a gel that contains tiny magnetic rods that will create guide rails for nerve fibres to grow in the right direction. This will close the gap that is created in the damaged spine.

There is a shortlist of biomaterial candidates to be researched for the soft gel, including seaweed. “Then we’ll see which materials interact best with the types of living cells that we need to interact with them – where we can promote neural growth and neural connectivity,” says Professor Wallace.

 The Australian team will not only be working with people internationally but also locally. They are supported by the Transnational Research Initiative for Cell Engineering and Printing here in Wollongong, where they have developed expertise.

 “It’s unique certainly across the country and it might be even unique across the world. The project is set up to help translate fundamental advances in bio fabrication into real clinical applications,” explains Professor Wallace.

 Another asset is a seaweed farmer at Venus Shell Systems, Dr Pia Winberg. Located in the Shoalhaven region, they produce premium quality marine biomass from the pristine waters of the Tasman Sea.

 “We extract the molecules that we need from very carefully grown seaweed and then we do chemical modification to turn it into a biomaterial that will be useful in areas like spinal cord regeneration,” says Professor Wallace.

The research is set to commence in the middle of 2022, with a vision around having something that’s implementable in the clinic within the lifespan, which is six years of the project. If successful, the project will significantly improve the lives of those affected by spinal cord injuries.

 “A very important part of the project is working closely with patients and their advocates,” says Professor Wallace. “Anything that can improve the quality of life for those who suffer from spinal cord damage, even marginally, is an amazing step forward. I think that’s why all the researchers involved in this from all across the globe are so committed to it and excited about being able to. We know it’s a big challenge, but we’re excited by the challenge. We have a real chance of making progress with a global team.”