Schwann cell coculture improves the therapeutic effect of bone marrow stromal cells on recovery in spinal cord-injured mice.

Studies of bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) transplanted into the spinal cord-injured rat give mixed results: some groups report improved locomotor recovery while others only demonstrate improved histological appearance of the lesion. These studies show no clear correlation between neurological improvements and MSC survival. We examined whether MSC survival in the injured spinal cord could be enhanced by closely matching donor and recipient mice for genetic background and marker gene expression and whether exposure of MSCs to a neural environment (Schwann cells) prior to transplantation would improve their survival or therapeutic effects.