The 2nd International Association of Neurorestoratology Annual Conference (IANRAC) Summary

The 2nd International Association of Neurorestoratology Annual Conference was successfully held in Beijing, China  from April 24 to 26, 2009. More than 200 representatives from 30  countries and regions attended the meeting and carried out extensive  academic exchanges while reached important consensus on many issues in  neuroregeneration, neural structural repair, neural replacement,  neuroprotection, neuromedulation, neurorehabilitation, neuroplasticity  and other areas in the field of neurorestoratology. The general assembly  adopted "Beijing Declaration" that was proposed by 32 scientists from  18 countries.

I. The International Association of Neurorestoratology Youth Forum and Council and Invited Experts Meeting

Thirteen  young researchers in the field of neurorestoratology participated in  the IANR Youth Forum to report their research results. The topics  covered a wide range of preclinical and clinical research in  neurorestoratology and seven internationally renowned experts served as  judges for the selection process. Yat-Ping Tsui from Hong Kong (In vitro  derivation of myelinating Schwann cells from bone marrow stromal cells  for transplantation), Chen Di from Beijing (Clinical study of combination neurorestoratological therapy for cerebral palsy), and Xiaoming Gong from Beijing (Olig1 is downregulated in oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation)  separately won the first, second, and third award. Huang Hongyun  reported council’s work during the past year, discussed annual work plan  for 2009-2010 with participants, and planned to establish and improve  organizational structure and association’s branches in order to better  promote the development of academic disciplines, IANR work committee  including Executive Committee, Academic Committee, Translational  Medicine Committee, Educational Committee, International Cooperation  Committee; IANR professional committees including Cell Committee,  Bio-engineering Committee, Drug treatment and Neuroprotection Committee,  Neuromedulation Committee, Neurorehabilitation Committee, and five  regional branches (Brazil, the Middle East, Mexico, China and North  Africa Branch). Then Geoffrey Raisman and Dajue Wang chaired a lively  discussion on "International Association of Neurorestoratology Beijing  Declaration". After the meeting, Professors Geoffrey Raisman, Dajue  Wang, Wise Young and Wagih S El Masri continued editing the text of the  Declaration. On April 26 the General Assembly unanimously adopted the  revised "Beijing Declaration" and reached a consensus to publish the  Declaration through various channels and translate it into 11 languages,  so that more professionals and general public can gain understanding of  this new disciplines, new areas, and new ways of thinking. The release  of "Beijing Declaration" established neurorestoratology’s concept and  definition, area of research, intervention methods, objective and key  points of the discipline, neurorestoratology direction and guidelines.  After discussion, the decision was made to host the 3rd International  Association of Neurorestoratology Annual Conference in China in April, 2010; the 4th IANRAC would be hosted in Jordan in April, 2011.

Ⅱ. Discipline introduction

With  the review of the development course and important research works in  the field of neurorestoratology, and the regularity summary, Huang  Hongyun (China) emphasized that neurorestoratology had become a distinct  discipline within neurosciences, which was an important discipline  enhancing human longevity and solving the affection on the survival and  quality of life resulting from neural diseases and damages. He proposed  the new discipline system and approached relative issues.

Ⅲ. Cell and tissue transplantation

Almudena Ramón-Cueto (Spain)  grafted olfactory bulb ensheathing glia (OB-OEG) immediately after  spinal cord injury (SCI), sub-acute and chronic in rodents. Their  results showed that adult OB-OEG exerted a healing effect on the chronic  spinal lesion, which opened up new perspectives for their use in  patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. Geoffrey Raisman and Li Ying  (UK) made an excellent report on restoration of fore-paw function in a  rat model of repair of brachial plexus injury. They proposed that the  first successful application of human olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs)  in clinical brachial plexus injury would pioneer a more brilliant  future for the treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries. Li Daqing  (UK) reported their study of OECs from adult human nasal mucosa. Elena  Rem Chernykh (Russia)  treated 36 patients in late period of SCI by meningomyeloradiculolis  surgery or by the operation supplemented by autologous bone marrow cells  transplantation (auto-BMT). They compared two group patients’ neural  functional assessment after the treatments. Their results showed that  patients of the second group improved obviously on their neural  functional defects. Chen Lin (China)  analyzed the therapeutic effects of OEC transplantation for 1255  patients with central nervous system diseases, and then drew a  conclusion: OEC transplantation into  brain and spinal cord was feasible and safety. The therapeutic strategy  was valuable treatment for central nervous system diseases such as  chronic SCI, ALS, CP, and sequelae of stroke, etc. It could improve the  patients’ neurological functions and/or slowing the worsening tendency  or speed. Albert Bohbot presented the follow-up and progress of individuals who received Dr. Huang's OEC therapy in combination with Laserponcture since 2005. The combination  of fetal OECs and Laserponcture suggested that there were recoveries at  motor and sensory level, bowels and bladder on a four-year period. Wise  Young (America) studied myelotomy treatment of rat spinal cord contusion. No  group showed significant differences in BBB scores. However,  quantitative histological analyses revealed less neuronal loss and  greater white matter sparing in myelotomized rats. Explanations and  implications of these results would be discussed. He Xijing (China)  assessed the clinical effect of the human OEC transplantation for 16  paraplegic patients, and found that the human OEC transplantation  treatment can improve the autonomic nerve function in a short time after  operation. Ziad. M. Al Zoubi (Jordan), together with Adeeb Al-Zoubi and Mohammed Jamoos, reported the treatment of spinal cord injuries using purified stem cells－a  jordanian experience. This study presented a novel and safe method for  purifying specific populations of SCs that could be used for treatment  of patients with complete SCI that was safe for the patients and imposed  no harm to them within the period of 5-16 months after SCT. Harry S.  Goldsmith (America) introduced omentum transposition for Alzheimer disease and spinal cord injury. Patty Phelps (America) reported transplantation of OEC enhanced recovery of hindlimb stepping in adult spinal transected rats. Rao Yaojian (China)  observed 2-12 weeks’ follow-up result of 15 SCI patients with OEC  transplantation, and he proposed that OEC transplantation could promote  the spinal and neurofunctional recovery of patients with malignant  spinal injury, and the therapeutic method was safe. Ye Chaoqun (China)  determined the migration, axon association of OEG and schwanne cells  (SCs) transplanted in contused spinal cord of rats, and then she  discovered that combined grafts could support axons myelinated, but  myelinated axons in injury site could not extend to the normal tissue,  mixed grafts only made the axons in rostral and caudal regions  myelinate. An Yihua (China) reported their clinical trial of neural stem cell transplantation to repair central nervous system dysfunction. Krystyna Domanska-Janik (Poland) introduced their research on cord blood derived neural stem/progenitors for regenerative neurology. Ma Jie (China)  reported their experimental studies on embryonic stem cell  transplantation for repairing hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and he  proposed that ES cell-derived cell could survive in the injured region,  migration and differentiates into neurons, neuroglial cell in the focal  damaged region and be superior to control group in neural function  recovery and mortality. Yoon Ha (Korea) introduced multimodality approach for spinal cord injury cell therapy. Feng Shiqing (China) emphasized the effects of the repairs on Schwann cells after spinal cord injury.

Ⅳ. Neuroprotective therapies for CNS injuries

Kwok-Fai SO (Hong Kong) introduced  the neuroprotective therapies for CNS injuries. He emphasized that  Lycium barbarum represented a potential neuroprotective agent which  deserved to be further explored in glaucoma, AD or other  neurodegenerative or traumatic disorders. Hu Rong proposed that  suppressing acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) promotes functional recovery in traumatic spinal cord injury. Debora R. Fior Chadi (Brazil) reported the effects of nicotine on neuronal plasticity and neurorestoration. Wang Jiming (China)  proposed that Guiluyisui capsule, traditional Chinese medicine agent,  could obviously improve the motor function of experimental  syringomyeliain rabbits, reduce porosis and decrease mortality rate.

Ⅴ. Tissue engineering and bioengineering

Eva  Syková (Czech) reported the researches on treatment of spinal cord  injury using autologous stem cells and biomaterials. She concluded that  scaffolds in combination with stem cells could improve regeneration by  bridging gaps after SCI, by mechanically supporting ingrowing cells and  axons and by the rescue and replacement of local neural cells. Liang  Peng (China)  reported that an innovative composite matrix derived from bone marrow  stromal cells (BMSC) cultured on denuded human amniotic membrane (DHAM)  could promote axonal regeneration and functional recovery after spinal  cord injury in adult rats, which was a composite matrix provides a  promising therapeutic approach for repairing spinal cord injury. Xu  Qunyuan (China)  introduced a study on experimental therapy of rat model of stroke by  tissue engineering with hyaluronic acid based scaffold. He proposed that  the HA hydrogel scaffolds modified by ab-NgR and PLL were therefore  appealing for cell delivery and tissue development in the brain  following stroke.

Ⅵ. Neuromodulation and neural stimulation

Wise Young, on behalf of Milan Dimitrijevic (America&Slovenia), introduced the status and prospect of repairing spinal cord injury. Larry Jordan (Canada) introduced the research on brainstem and spinal neural systems for the initiation of locomotion. Russell J Andrews (America)  approached the value of neuromodulation for neurorestoration. He  proposed that neuromodulation should advance from crude ‘reversible  ablation’ to true neurorestoration – the precise resculpting of CNS  electrochemical activity from abnormal back to normal in the next  decade. Gerson Chadi (Brazil) reported neuronal stimulation in CNS for neurorestoration. Luan Guoming introduced the current status of neuromodulation in China and INS. Klaus von Wild (Germany)  reported the neurosurgeon’s lesson from two international  multidisciplinary projects over ten years. Their findings should  encourage clinicians to consider the paraplegic’s needs to walk again.  Doctors must be willing to change their conservative attitude and accept  scientific audit before and following the reconstructive procedures.

Ⅶ. Neurorehabilitation and neurorestoratology

Gitendra Uswatte (America)  proposed that constraint-induced movement therapy could remodel neural  structures and restore function. Wagih S El Masri (UK) reported the  quantitative temporal motor recovery in 39 Frankel ASIA A & B  traumatic spinal cord injury patients in the outpatient clinic. Liu  Zhenhuan (China)  introduced the exploratory development of combined rehabilitation  treatment for 684 children with cerebral palsy, and proposed that the  rehabilitation modality could effectively degrade mutilation rate of  cerebral palsy and relieve mind and economy burden of family and  society. Serge Rossignol emphasized the importance of the spinal CPG in  the recovery of locomotion after partial spinal cord lesions.

Ⅷ. Neuroplasticity

Michael Chopp (America)  reported on plasticity and remodeling of brain, and proposed that  restorative therapies targeting the promotion of brain plasticity are  promising approaches for clinical application. Carlos Lima (Portugal)  approached the neuroplasticity issue, and he believed the kind of  rehabilitation interventions to retain the functional gains and to reach  the maximal improvement possible.

Ⅸ. Peripheral nerve and others

Gustavo Moviglia (Argentina)  introduced the recovery of superior neurological functions through  immunotherapy in patients with the childhood cerebral form of  adrenoleukodystrophy. He believed that the interaction of immune cells  with nervous tissue cells played a crucial role in the CNS repair, as  well as that IFN might be a therapeutic agent for it. Wang Yan (China)  preferred transferring of vascularized ulnar nerve for the  reconstruction of stepping function of paraplegia patients by using a  novel nerve anatomosis technique. Zhang Shaocheng (China)  reported that the microsurgical treatment in chronic neuropathic pain  after spinal cord or peripheral nerve injury were better than  traditional methods. Dajue Wang (UK) provided basic knowledge of the  reticular formation (RF) for clinicians after reviewing the compact  literature. Song Jianxing (Singapore) showed targeting Nogo-NgR and Eph-eprin signaling for enhancing regeneration of the injured CNS axons.

Ⅹ. Patients' Wishes

Mr. Boyd Melson (America),  a SCI patient’s caregiver, he read aloud the letter from the patient  with passion and emphasized the patients’ understanding on ‘walking’.  For patients, even micro improvements on function after the treatments,  could give them hope and improvements on quality of life. His speech  made the doctors on the conference comprehend more feelings of patients,  also made researchers understand more practical expectation of  patients.

 (Recorded by Chen Lin, Huang Daqian, Chen Di, Huang Hongyun)