Traumatic brain injury due to road traffic accidents, sport injuries, falls, or military casualties, is a major and growing cause of disability and death worldwide. 


TBI induces an immediate mechanical damage followed by detrimental chain of secondary side-effects promoting neurodegeneration. There is no treatment providing both short-term neuroprotective action or long-term neurorestorative therapy. An international collaboration (NeuroTMULille international laboratory) between Taipei Medical University (Ouada Nebie, Thierry Burnouf) and Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (David Blum, David Devos, Luc Buée) just published in the journal “Brain” that the complex pathological consequences of TBI can be alleviated by the delivery of a Human Platelet Lysate (HPL) specifically formulated for brain administration.

The published work demonstrated that HPL improved motor function, mitigated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the injured cortical area and reduced synaptic alterations in two mouse models of TBI. “This platelet biotherapy would represent a treatment addressing the multiple physio-pathological causes of TBI and avoid progression towards neurodegenerative processes” David Blum commented on the findings.

HPL are composed of a balanced composition of protective neurotrophic factors with the capacity to activate multiple biological protective pathways and represent a novel therapeutic approach in regenerative medicine. They are prepared from platelet concentrates collected by whole blood donations or apheresis procedures from healthy donors. Platelet concentrates, the source of the human platelet lysates, are essential medicine according to the WHO, and are available worldwide, meeting stringent quality and safety criteria in many countries. “Our results suggest the importance of a careful formulation of human platelet lysates to ensure optimal safety and efficacy for brain administration. The potential, yet to be confirmed in humans, to deliver this product by the intranasal route opens extremely exciting prospects in the treatment of neurological diseases. Our results suggest the importance of a careful formulation of human platelet lysates to ensure optimal safety and efficacy for brain administration. It is now vital to move into further pre-clinical assessment and carefully controlled and monitored clinical studies” commented Thierry Burnouf.

Reference:

Human platelet lysate biotherapy for traumatic brain injury: preclinical assessment.

Nebie O, Carvalho K, Barro L, Delila L, Faivre E, Renn TY, Chou ML, Wu YW, Niem-Redene A, Chou SY, Buée L, Hu CJ, Peng CW, Devos D, Blum D, Burnouf T. Brain. 2021 Jun 4:awab205. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab205.


Taipei Medical University

Taipei Medical University (TMU), ranked 30th in the latest THE Asia University Rankings, prioritizes it research efforts in areas including neuroscience, cancer translational medicine, pulmonary medicine, artificial intelligence in medicine, cell therapy, and medical device. Founded in 1960, TMU now has around 6,000 students from over 40 countries, six affiliated hospitals, and a staff cohort of over 8,500. For job opportunities and more information about Taipei Medical University, please visit the website and Facebook.

Lille University

The University of Lille, a multidisciplinary university of excellence at the heart of Northern Europe, boasts an outstanding cultural and scientific heritage that is etched into the Hauts-de-France Region’s history. With 75,000 students (including 7,300 international students), 7,500 staff members, 62 research units, and diplomas in all fields of study, the University of Lille is a major player in the region in training, research, innovation, and its commitment to social issues. For more information about the University of Lille, see its website and check it out on Linkedin and Twitter.

NeuroTMULille

NeuroTMULille is a joint neuroscience laboratory established by Taipei Medical University and the University of Lille in 2019. Through NeuroTMULille, the two institutions are currently moving forward to introduce a seed fund mechanism and identify collaborative research teams from both sides. Bilateral exchange of researchers and students, as well as dual degree programs are continuously being implemented to further strengthen the international research collaborations between the two institutions.