Team U Proposal Critique Significance: Testing placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment on mice with experimental autoimmune

encephalomyelitis (EAE), the equivalent of multiple sclerosis in mice. The research proposal seems to be one that may potentially have a large impact, as it is a treatment for multiple sclerosis and may advance to human clinical trials if successful. Approach: The approach the investigators are taking seems sound and well-reasoned. There are no issues or holes in their logic that particularly stand out. However, the Potential problems and remedies section should be far more comprehensive than it is. While it does point out possible ethical issues, simply stating that the mindset to solve all problems as they arise serves as their remedy seems far too general and unsubstantial, and does not address the problem. Innovation: The project seems original and innovative, and the proposal clearly states how this investigation builds on scientific knowledge. The introduction is very informative and helps those with minimal knowledge about the topic understand MS better. However, it seems to lose focus slightly around the second or third paragraph when discussing demyelination and T-cells. That area would benefit from some tightening up and bringing focus back to information more directly relevant to the topic of investigation. The entire introduction would benefit from a thorough proofreading, as there were several grammatical errors. Research materials and methods is well-written. However, a small detail that caused some confusion was the number of mice to be injected with MSCs. From the explanation of how the 245 mice would be divided into control and experimental groups, it seemed that 215 mice would be treated with MSC (both the experimental group and the second control), but later on, it was stated that 100 mice would be injected.

Potential problems and remedies needs to be edited significantly to improve coherence and comprehension. See what was said above in Approach. Overall, the quality of the grammar varied noticeably from section to section and could be improved in some. Placenta-derived and T-cell should be hyphenated.