Restoring motor function using optogenetics and neural engraftment: Tissue, cell & pathway engineering (2016)

J Barney Bryson, Carolina Barcellos Machado, Ivo Lieberam, Linda Greensmith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Controlling muscle function is essential for human behaviour and survival, thus, impairment of motor function and muscle paralysis can severely impact quality of life and may be immediately life-threatening, as occurs in many cases of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Repairing damaged spinal motor circuits, in either SCI or ALS, currently remains an elusive goal. Therefore alternative strategies are needed to artificially control muscle function and thereby enable essential motor tasks. This review focuses on recent advances towards restoring motor function, with a particular focus on stem cell-derived neuronal engraftment strategies, optogenetic control of motor function and the potential future translational application of these approaches.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)75-81
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Opinion in Biotechnology
Volume40
Early online date24 Mar 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2016

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