Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers developed a process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology and lab-grown tissues to promote spinal cord repair, according to research published July 23 in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
The team designed 3D-printed organoid scaffolds with microscopic channels seeded with stem cell-derived spinal neural progenitor cells. In rats with completely severed spinal cords, the scaffolds guided nerve fiber growth, integrated into host tissue and formed new neural connections, and the animals eventually achieved “significant functional recovery,” according to a university news release.
The work, led by neurosurgeon Ann Parr, MD, PhD, is in early stages but represents a potential breakthrough for regenerative treatments. Funding came from the NIH, State of Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Grant Program and Spinal Cord Society.
