# Feasibility Testing of a Novel Combination Therapy To Improve Genitourinary Function Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury in a Rat Model

> **NIH VA I21** · VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

This SPiRE proposal is aimed at evaluating the feasibility of a novel interventional approach to
facilitate urinary bladder function recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) in a rat model. SCI
results in permanent loss of motor and autonomic function (bladder, bowel, and sexual
functions) below the level of the lesion due to limited intrinsic healing capacity and the absence
of effective therapeutic interventions. SCI involves complex pathophysiology that presents
multiple barriers to functional recovery. Despite significant research progress around
locomotion, profound SCI-related alterations in autonomic functions have not received a
proportional level of scientific urgency. Rehabilitation of these autonomic functions is an
understudied field with great relevance to Veterans as successful interventional therapies
would significantly improve their quality of life (QOL). There is thus an urgent need to assess the
feasibility of new interventions capable of synergistically improving autonomic functional
recovery. The objective of this proposal is to evaluate the feasibility of such interventions in a rat
model of severe SCI. Our proposal is focused on using principles of regenerative medicine
(using neural progenitor cell; NPC graft) in combination with neuromodulation (using trans-
spinal magnetic stimulation; TSMS) to provide neuroprotection and promote functional recovery
by a synergistic effect in this SCI rat model. Aim 1 will characterize the impact of three different
types of SCI that affect urogenital circuits and bladder function recovery. Aim 2 will evaluate
if NPC grafts can promote supraspinal (pontine micturition center; PMC) axon regeneration and
relay PMC signal into the spinal cord below the injury. In addition, we will assess if
neuromodulation using TSMS could strengthen and stabilize the functional connectivity of
injured spinal neurons that control bladder function. The proposed work is innovative because it
proposes a novel interventional approach capable of synergistically improving the survival and
growth of injured neural cells and facilitating neuronal functional connectivity, as well as
reducing ischemia and inflammation. This collaborative research will be led and performed by
experts in the fields of SCI and Urology, and the overarching goal of this research is to benefit
Veterans with SCI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10914756
- **Project number:** 1I21RX004881-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** MAHADEVAN Raj RAJASEKARAN
- **Activity code:** I21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10914756

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10914756, Feasibility Testing of a Novel Combination Therapy To Improve Genitourinary Function Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury in a Rat Model (1I21RX004881-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10914756. Licensed CC0.

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