Abstract
Stem cell therapies demonstrate promising results as treatment for neurological disease and injury, owing to their innate ability to enhance endogenous neural tissue repair and promote functional recovery. However, delivery of undifferentiated and viable neuronal stem cells requires an engineered delivery system that promotes integration of transplanted cells into the inflamed and cytotoxic region of damaged tissue. Within the brain, endothelial cells (EC) of the subventricular zone play a critical role in neural stem cell (NSC) maintenance, quiescence and survival. Therefore, here, we describe the use of polyethylene glycol microbeads for the coincident delivery of EC and NSC as a means of enhancing appropriate NSC quiescence and survival during transplantation into the mouse brain. We demonstrate that EC and NSC co-encapsulation maintained NSC quiescence, enhanced NSC viability, and facilitated NSC extravasation in vitro, as compared to NSC encapsulated alone. In addition, co-encapsulated cells delivered to an in vivo non-injury model reduced inflammatory response compared to freely injected NSC. These results suggest the strong potential of a biomimetic engineered niche for NSC delivery into the brain following neurological injury.