Plasticity and ependymal cell response to spinal cord injury
1. Purpose:
In this study we wish to track the proliferation and migration of sub-ependymal-derived cells in response to artificially induced spinal cord injury in Sprague Dawley rats. We also wish to track changes in electrophysiological characteristics of the spinal cord by analyzing cross-sectional and longitudinal organotypical slices from the lesioned spinal cord.
2. Expected injury:
The animals will get a small surgical wound on the back at from T8-T12 that will be used to perform a T10 laminectomy of the spinal column. The spinal cord will be lesioned by applied pressure. This will result in partial/complete paralysis of the animal's body posterior to the lesion site.
3. Expected gains:
Our study aims to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the spinal cord responds to injury. This will enable us to identify potential processes that can be targeted therapeutically early on after injury, promoting a faster and/or more efficient healing process.
4. Number of animals.
For this pilot study we desire the use of 10 animals to detect effect sizes so that we can run a power analysis to determine the number of animals needed for a full study.
5. 3R's:
Replacement - Animals cannot be replaced in this study as no sufficient replacement model exists. Reduction - Several organotypic slices will be taken from each animal to test effect sizes and spinal cord tissue left over will be donated to another study so it requires less animals as well.
Refinement - Data from this pilot study will be used to optimize number of animals and procedures for the full study once this pilot is completed.
Ongoing research work in our group focuses in the development of advanced modelling platforms, which enable us to study aspects of spinal cord injury pathology in vitro, directly contributing to all 3R principles in this study.
In this study we wish to track the proliferation and migration of sub-ependymal-derived cells in response to artificially induced spinal cord injury in Sprague Dawley rats. We also wish to track changes in electrophysiological characteristics of the spinal cord by analyzing cross-sectional and longitudinal organotypical slices from the lesioned spinal cord.
2. Expected injury:
The animals will get a small surgical wound on the back at from T8-T12 that will be used to perform a T10 laminectomy of the spinal column. The spinal cord will be lesioned by applied pressure. This will result in partial/complete paralysis of the animal's body posterior to the lesion site.
3. Expected gains:
Our study aims to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the spinal cord responds to injury. This will enable us to identify potential processes that can be targeted therapeutically early on after injury, promoting a faster and/or more efficient healing process.
4. Number of animals.
For this pilot study we desire the use of 10 animals to detect effect sizes so that we can run a power analysis to determine the number of animals needed for a full study.
5. 3R's:
Replacement - Animals cannot be replaced in this study as no sufficient replacement model exists. Reduction - Several organotypic slices will be taken from each animal to test effect sizes and spinal cord tissue left over will be donated to another study so it requires less animals as well.
Refinement - Data from this pilot study will be used to optimize number of animals and procedures for the full study once this pilot is completed.
Ongoing research work in our group focuses in the development of advanced modelling platforms, which enable us to study aspects of spinal cord injury pathology in vitro, directly contributing to all 3R principles in this study.