Magnetic nanoparticles for oligodendrocyte precursor cell transplantation therapies: progress and challenges

Abstract

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) have shown high promise as a transplant population to promote
regeneration in the central nervous system, specifically, for the production of myelin – the protective sheath
around nerve fibers. While clinical trials for these cells have commenced in some areas, there are currently key
barriers to the translation of neural cell therapies. These include the ability to (a) image transplant populations
in vivo; (b) genetically engineer transplant cells to augment their repair potential; and (c) safely target cells to sites
of pathology. Here, we review the evidence that magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a ‘multifunctional nanoplatform’
that can aid in safely addressing these translational challenges in neural cell/OPC therapy: by facilitating real-time
and post-mortem assessment of transplant cell biodistribution, and biomolecule delivery to transplant cells, as well
as non-invasive ‘magnetic cell targeting’ to injury sites by application of high gradient fields. We identify key issues
relating to the standardization and reporting of physicochemical and biological data in the field; we consider that it
will be essential to systematically address these issues in order to fully evaluate the utility of the MNP platform for
neural cell transplantation, and to develop efficacious neurocompatible particles for translational applications.