Spinal cord injury represents a critical and largely unmet medical need. Each year, approximately 18,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries occur in the United States, with roughly 310,000 individuals currently living with the condition. Nearly 70% of injuries result from traumatic events, primarily vehicle accidents and falls, followed by violence and sports related injuries.
Patients typically sustain permanent neurological damage due to disruption of signal transmission caused by scar formation at the site of injury, which blocks communication between the brain and the body. This leads to lifelong disability, frequent medical complications requiring repeated hospitalizations, and a significantly reduced life expectancy.
The economic burden is substantial, with lifetime direct costs reaching up to approximately $6 million dollars per patient, excluding indirect costs such as lost productivity. Together, these factors highlight the urgent need for transformative therapies that can restore function and meaningfully improve patient outcomes.
The process begins with two patient derived components.
First, a blood sample is collected, and mature somatic cells are reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, using the Yamanaka method. Second, an omentum sample is collected and undergoes decellularization to generate a patient specific extracellular matrix, which is then processed into a hydrogel. The patient derived iPSCs are then embedded within this hydrogel and guided through a controlled differentiation process.
This bioengineering approach leads to the formation of functional neural tissue with dense 3D neuronal networks, neuronal connections, and synchronized firing. The final product is a functional engineered personalized 3D neural tissue spheroid, ready for implantation and designed to bridge injured spinal tissue.
CatWalk XT gait analysis demonstrated enhanced walking patterns, marked by longer, quicker, and more stable steps ,
a clear indication of functional recovery following treatment with Matricelf’s human-engineered neural tissue.
The rats, initially paralyzed due to a T10 contusion spinal cord injury that rendered both hind legs non-functional,
showed restored hind limb function after treatment, in contrast to untreated controls that remained impaired.