Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 29-30).It has only been in the last couple decades that the potential for regeneration in the spinal cord became accepted. However, there is still no proven method for enabling this regeneration. An implant model was developed to help aid in repair, recovery, and regeneration in the spinal cord following spinal cord injury (SCI). This is a polymer-based model with the ability to host neural stem cells. This document briefly reviews the SCI model developed. It also discusses the intellectual property surrounding the implant model, as well as examines the possible pathways through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to the market.by Lara Suzanne Abbaschian.M.Eng
