Abstract #2459

Ex Vivo Myelin Water & DTI Measurements of SKP-SC Transplanted Cell Therapy in Contused Rat Spinal Cord: Correlation with Histology

Andrew C. Yung¹, Peggy Assinck², Leo Wu², Jie Liu², Wolfram Tetzlaff², Piotr Kozlowski^1,2

¹UBC MRI Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; ²ICORD, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Schwann cells differentiated from skin-derived precursors (SKP-SCs) have been shown to promote histological and functional recovery in a contusion model of rat spinal cord injury. In this work, we assess the myelin content and axonal integrity in an ex vivo specimen of contused thoracic cord treated with SKP-SCs by measuring myelin water fraction (MWF) [ref] and longitudinal diffusivity (Dlong). MRI results are compared to corresponding histological measures.