Inside Piezo4Spine: The Challenge of Spinal Cord Repair

aus Wissen schafft Macht. Macht aber nix. Oder? WISM²ANO Ein Podcast der BioteXpert*innen · 19.06.2026 · 43 Min.

Beschreibung

What if a spinal cord injury never truly ends? Years after the accident, the body is still under pressure: chronic inflammation, recurring infections, and neurons that are alive—but unable to reconnect. In this episode, we take you inside Piezo4Spine , a European research project working on a radically different approach to spinal cord repair. In this episode Why “spinal cord injury” is not a single condition What happens in the body immediately after injury—and years later Why scar tissue becomes a major barrier to recovery How the immune system changes long-term What happens in the brain after losing input Why previous repair strategies have failed Piezo4Spine flips the perspective: Targeting scar-forming cells (fibroblasts) instead of only neurons Using nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery Developing an implantable 3D “theramesh” Testing everything in preclinical animal models The idea: before reconnecting nerves, you need to fix the environment they live in. Guests: Dr. Juliana Martins da Rosa Neurophysiologist focusing on neural circuits and regeneration at the Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo (Spain), SESCAM Dr. Elisa López Dolado Clinician-scientist specializing in spinal cord injury and rehabilitation at the Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo (Spain), SESCAM More information: Graphene oxide scaffolds promote functional improvements mediated by scaffold-invading axons in thoracic transected rats Collagen-based scaffolds loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles promote functional sensorimotor recovery in spinal cord injury | bioRxiv A regenerative rehabilitation strategy based on rGO scaffolds and treadmill training boosts neural, vascular and muscle repair features in chronic hemisected rats - ScienceDirect Follow the Piezo4Spine channels : LinkedIn Instagram