Surgical Technique for Spinal Cord Delivery of Therapies: Demonstration of Procedure in Gottingen Minipigs

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Thais Federici, Emory University; Carl V. Hurtig, Emory University; Kentrell L. Burks, Emory University; Jonathan P. Riley, Emory University; Vibhor Krishna, Medical University of South Carolina; Brandon A. Miller, Emory University; Eric A. Sribnick, Emory University; Joseph H. Miller, University of Alabama Birmingham; Natalia Grin, Emory University; Jason J. Lamanna, Emory University; Nicholas Boulis, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2012-12-01
• Publisher: Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2012, Journal of Visualized Experiments
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/4371
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Visualized Experiments
• ISSN: 1940-087X
• Issue: 70
• Start Page: e4371
• End Page: e4371
• Grant/Funding Information: Funding sources include: ALS Association, Department of Defense, and Neuralstem, Inc.
• Keywords: Neurobiology; swine; Science & Technology; Anatomy; Medicine; Issue 70; safety; Multidisciplinary Sciences; delivery; target; animal model; transplantation; spinal cord; therapy; Surgery; Physiology; Science & Technology - Other Topics; accuracy; Neuroscience; CNS
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience

Abstract

This is a compact visual description of a combination of surgical technique and device for the delivery of (gene and cell) therapies into the spinal cord. While the technique is demonstrated in the animal, the procedure is FDA-approved and currently being used for stem cell transplantation into the spinal cords of patients with ALS. While the FDA has recognized proof-of-principle data on therapeutic efficacy in highly characterized rodent models, the use of large animals is considered critical for validating the combination of a surgical procedure, a device, and the safety of a final therapy for human use. The size, anatomy, and general vulnerability of the spine and spinal cord of the swine are recognized to better model the human. Moreover, the surgical process of exposing and manipulating the spinal cord as well as closing the wound in the pig is virtually indistinguishable from the human. We believe that the healthy pig model represents a critical first step in the study of procedural safety.