We investigated whether the transplantation of neurotrophin-3 gene transfected mesenchymal stem cells
(NT-3-MSC) could promote hind limb functional recovery and axonal outgrowth in a model of spinal cord injury.
We found that NT3-MSC transplantation in the contused spinal cord significantly improved hind limb function,
axonal outgrowth, and MSC survival, suggesting that gene therapy combined with MSC treatment may represent a
useful strategy for treatment of spinal cord injury.