Translational Relevance of Swine Models of Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a physically and psychologically devastating clinical condition. The typical treatment regimens of decompressive surgery and rehabilitation therapy still leave many patients with permanent disability. The development of new therapies and devices can be accelerated if relevant translational animal models are more effectively used in pre-clinical stages. Swine is a highly relevant model for SCI research, especially with respect to spine and spinal cord anatomy, spine vasculature, immune responses to injury, and functional assessments. Several spine injury models have recently been developed for swine and are beginning to be used to evaluate new therapies. Swine models of SCI offer tremendous advantages for efficient translation of pre-clinical discoveries and the development of new therapies and devices. Future swine models will also be enhanced by advances in gene-editing technology to further elucidate the complex pathophysiology associated with SCI and provide a means to engineer specific spinal pathologies.