Microcures
New therapeutic collaboration brings hope for spinal cord repair: University of Leeds centre joins forces with MicroCures in pioneering siRNA project
A new collaboration between the Leeds Centre for Spinal Cord Injury and US-based biotech company MicroCures Inc. has advanced preclinical work on a novel small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic — named SiFi2 — targeting the enzyme Fidgetin‑Like 2 (FL2), with the aim of promoting nerve repair after spinal cord injury (SCI).
Background
Fidgetin-Like 2 (FL2) is a microtubule-severing enzyme shown to act as a negative regulator of axonal growth and nerve regeneration. Earlier foundational work demonstrated that knockdown of FL2 by siRNA enhanced nerve regrowth in peripheral and cutaneous injury models. MicroCures’ proprietary siRNA therapeutic, SiFi2, is designed to silence FL2 gene expression, thereby accelerating cell migration and tissue repair.
The Leeds-MicroCures Collaboration
The Leeds Centre for Spinal Cord Injury has been working to apply SiFi2 in relevant spinal cord injury models, evaluating whether FL2-silencing improves cellular responses (neuroinflammation, oligodendrocyte survival, axonal preservation) and functional motor recovery after contusive and traumatic injury.
Significance & Next Steps
The collaboration places the University of Leeds centre at the forefront of translational spinal cord injury repair research. The application of SiFi2 in CNS (central nervous system) injury models (rather than solely peripheral or cutaneous injuries) represents an important step toward addressing the long-standing challenge of improving functional recovery after SCI.
From the MicroCures perspective, this partnership not only strengthens the pre-clinical evidence base for SiFi2 but also opens avenues toward future clinical translation in spinal injury indications.
The next steps are expected to include: scaling the dosing/regimen studies for SiFi2 in spinal models, assessing longer-term outcomes (beyond acute phase), exploring combinatorial therapies (e.g., with rehabilitation, electrical stimulation or biomaterials), and ultimately preparing for first-in-human trials.
“Our work at Leeds has increasingly shown that the cellular response after spinal cord injury sets the stage for long-term recovery. By modulating a molecular regulator like FL2, we believe we can tilt the balance towards repair and regrowth,” said Professor Ronaldo Ichiyama of the University of Leeds.
“SiFi2 is a compelling example of our platform in action – silencing FL2 to accelerate cell migration and tissue repair – and our collaboration with Leeds marks a major milestone in bringing this concept into CNS injury,” added Dr. David J. Sharp, Chief Scientific Officer of MicroCures.
Implications
If successful, SiFi2 could become a novel adjunct therapy for spinal cord injury, complementing rehabilitation and neurostimulation approaches. By enhancing endogenous repair pathways, it may improve outcomes for individuals suffering from SCI — a condition with currently limited therapeutic options.