Neuroprotection: Biodegradable Spheres Protect Traumatically Injured Spinal Cord by Alleviating the Glutamate‐Induced Excitotoxicity (Adv. Mater. 14/2018)

New treatment strategies for spinal‐cord injury are being actively pursued. In article number 1706032, Helder A. Santos, Guoyong Yin, Jin Fan, and co‐workers show that intrathecally injected biodegradable polymeric microspheres, acetalated dextran, can protect traumatically injured spinal cord. The neuroprotective feature of acetalated dextran microspheres is achieved by sequestering the excessive glutamate and calcium ions in cerebrospinal fluid, and consequently attenuating the glutamateinduced excitotoxicity.