Credit: McAlpine Research Group / University of Minnesota

A breakthrough in stem cell biology has been 3D-printed in Minnesota—and the lab results show promise for spinal cord injury recovery, and even reversal.

A research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities demonstrated a groundbreaking process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues to provide spinal cord injury recovery.

Currently there is no way to completely reverse the damage and paralysis. A major challenge is the death of nerve cells and the inability for nerve fibers to regrow across the injury site. This new research tackles this problem by building a bridge.

The team created a unique 3D-printed framework for lab-grown organs, called an organoid scaffold, with microscopic channels. These channels are then populated with ‘spinal neural progenitor cells’ derived from adult stem cells in humans, which have the capacity to divide and differentiate into specific types of mature cells.

“We use the 3D printed channels of the scaffold to direct the growth of the stem cells, which ensures the new nerve fibers grow in the desired way,” said Guebum Han PhD, a former University of Minnesota mechanical engineering researcher and first author of the paper published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

“This method creates a relay system that when placed in the spinal cord bypasses the damaged area.”

In the study—funded by the NIH, the State of Minnesota Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Grant Program, and the Spinal Cord Society—the researchers transplanted these scaffolds into rats with spinal cords that were completely severed.

The cells successfully differentiated into neurons and extended their nerve fibers in both directions—rostral (toward the head) and caudal (toward the tail)—to form new connections with the host’s existing nerve circuits.

The new nerve cells integrated seamlessly into the host spinal cord tissue over time, leading to significant functional recovery in the rats.

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“Regenerative medicine has brought about a new era in spinal cord injury research,” said Ann Parr, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota. “Our laboratory is excited to explore the future potential of our ‘mini spinal cords’ for clinical translation.”

While the research is in its beginning stages, it offers a new avenue of hope for those with spinal cord injuries—and the team hopes to scale up production and continue developing this combination of technologies.

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