3D printed implant could help therapy for spinal cord injuries

The rapidly 3D printed spinal cords were loaded with neural stem cells prior to being implanted in the injured rats.

The implants, described in Nature Medicine, are intended to promote nerve growth across spinal cord injuries, restoring connections and lost function. In rat models, the scaffolds supported tissue regrowth, stem cell survival and expansion of neural stem cell axons out of the scaffolding and into the host spinal cord.

The advance by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Institute of Engineering in Medicine promotes renewal in axons, which are long extensions on nerve cells that reach out to connect to other cells.

"In recent years and papers, we've progressively moved closer to the goal of abundant, long-distance regeneration of injured axons in spinal cord injury, which is fundamental to any true restoration of physical function," said co-senior author Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, professor of neuroscience and director of the Translational Neuroscience Institute at UC San Diego School of Medicine.