The potential of combining Epac activation and a tuneable hydrogel in promoting CNS axonal regeneration

Following spinal cord injury, communication between the brain and the body below the injury level is disrupted due to the damage to the cord. A hostile injury environment prevents the spinal cord nerve cells to regenerate. To date, no single regenerative strategy has been translated to the clinic. Epac and novel hydrogel biomterial are two promising strategies that promote mammalian nerve cells to regenerate respectively. Here, we hypothesise that a combination of the two strategies, in the presence of an inhibitory encironment, will lead to better regeneration of rat nerve cells in vitro. The project will inform future work with in vivo SCI model.