The need for tissue-engineered models to facilitate the study of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in traumatic brain injury and repair

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important public health issue as these high-rate mechanical insults to brain tissue, even on a mild scale, progress to secondary injury cascades that prolong and augment the injury. More effective models are vital to study the injury mechanism and progression. Although oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and mature oligodendrocytes (OLs) have been shown to play a large role in TBI injury and recovery, research into OPC/OL effects post-injury has previously been ignored in favor of neuronal research. Optimizing a hydrogel-based in vitro model system to elucidate the unique contributions of OPC/OL to the injury cascade would elevate molecular knowledge in TBI research. In this manuscript, we identify several key parameters and potential next steps for consideration in the development of such models.