Learn about the new treatment they're developing for spinal cord injuries.

A recent study revealed that a new process is being developed, which combines 3D printing, stem cells and laboratory-grown tissues , and which could be a major innovation for spinal cord injury recovery.

This process creates stem cells through 3D printing on scaffolds containing microscopic channels, which guide the growth of new cells around the spinal cord injury. Here's how it works.

Cell growth through 3D printing

Guebum Han, the lead author of this research, explained in a statement: “We used the scaffold’s 3D-printed channels to direct the growth of stem cells, which ensures that new nerve fibers grow in the desired way ”.

“This method creates a relay system that, when placed in the spinal cord, bypasses the damaged area,” said Han, a former postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota and currently a mechanical engineer at Intel Corp.

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To date, there are no treatments to reverse the damage and paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries, a condition that affects thousands of people worldwide. The main problem is that nerve cells cannot spontaneously regrow at the site of the injury, making the damage permanent.

In this study, researchers transplanted 3D-printed scaffolds into rats with completely severed spinal cords. These cells successfully became neurons and grew nerve fibers in both directions, along the spine, in an effort to form new connections with the injured spinal cord of the rats.

The results showed that eventually, the new nerve cells integrated seamlessly into the spinal cord , fully restoring movement and function.

The research team hopes to continue testing this combination of technologies, and prepare it for future human testing.

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