Paul Alongi
Spinal cord injuries can be caused by trauma or disease and usually result in permanent loss of motor and sensory function below the injury. As many as 358,000 people in the United States are living with spinal cord injuries, and about 17,700 new cases occur each year, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center.
Lee said patients who have suffered from spinal cord injuries have inspired her research, , particularly their courage and optimism. “I believe the nanotherapeutics we are developing can provide a platform for drug therapies that can mitigate injury damage and lay the groundwork for regeneration, Lee said. “I want to see patients achieve functional recovery and improve quality of life. That is my research goal and my personal hope.”
Lee said her results so far have been promising. Rats that received the treatment regained the ability to move their hind legs, she said. The funding comes from the National Institutes of Health R01 program and lasts four years. Lee’s goal is to have the treatment ready to test on larger animals, such as pigs or sheep, by the end of the grant period.
The treatment could be ready for human clinical trials in about 10 years, Lee said. Once ready for market, the nanoparticles would be injected into the patient, either through an IV or directly into the lumbar region of the back, Lee said. The nanoparticles would deliver the drug rolipram
and small-interfering RNA to the site of the injury to promote healing. The protein L1 would help the nanoparticles target key neurons. The approach would capitalize on recent studies showing the value of therapies that employ two or more treatments simultaneously.
Martine LaBerge, chair of the Department of Bioengineering, said Lee is well positioned for success. “Dr. Lee brings an innovative approach and a high level of scholarship to her research,” LaBerge said. “R01 awards are among the top grants for research in health innovation, and Dr. Lee is highly deserving.”
The nanoparticles are key to the treatment Lee is developing. They are made of a polymer that was created in her lab and is called PgP, which is short for poly (lactide-co-glycolide)-graft-polyethylenimine. The nanoparticles are about 130-160 nanometers, visible only with a high-powered electron microscope, Lee said. Their hydrophobic core and hydrophilic shell allow the nanoparticles to carry both rolipram and small-interfering RNA to the injury, she said.
Lee is developing the nanoparticles for spinal cord injuries, but they also hold the possibility for treating other ailments, including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, traumatic brain injury and stroke, she said. The technology has been patented, Lee said.
Lee and her team are conducting their research at the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus, or CUBEInC, at Greenville Health System’s Patewood Campus. Collaborators include Ken Webb, associate chair of undergraduate affairs in Clemson’s Department of Bioengineering, and Michael Lynn, a neurosurgeon at Greenville Health System.
Lee also expressed gratitude to the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Research Foundation and the SC BioCRAFT COBRE Center that helped support the initial development of her materials and technology.
Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, congratulated Lee on the grant. “The amount of the award and the prestige that comes with the R01 program underscores the creativity and knowledge that Dr. Lee brings to the project,” he said. “The grant is richly deserved.”
