
University of Minnesota researchers developed a prototype of a 3D-printed device with living cells that could help spinal cord patients restore some function. The size of the device could be custom-printed to fit each patient’s spinal cord. The patient’s own cells would be printed on the guide to avoid rejection in the body.
Credit: University of Minnesota
Engineers and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota have teamed up to create a groundbreaking 3D-printed device that could someday help patients with long-term spinal cord injuries regain some function.
A 3D-printed guide, made of silicone, serves as a platform for specialized cells that are then 3D printed on top of it. The guide would be surgically implanted into the injured area of the spinal cord where it would serve as a type of “bridge” between living nerve cells above and below the area of injury. The hope is that this would help patients alleviate pain as well as regain some functions like control of muscles, bowel and bladder.
The research is published online today in Advanced Functional Materials, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
“This is the first time anyone has been able to directly 3D print neuronal stem cells derived from adult human cells on a 3D-printed guide and have the cells differentiate into active nerve cells in the lab,” said Michael McAlpine, Ph.D., a co-author of the study and University of Minnesota Benjamin Mayhugh Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the University’s College of Science and Engineering.
“This is a very exciting first step in developing a treatment to help people with spinal cord injuries,” said Ann Parr, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the study and University of Minnesota Medical School Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Stem Cell Institute. “Currently, there aren’t any good, precise treatments for those with long-term spinal cord injuries.”
There are currently about 285,000 people in the United States who suffer from spinal cord injuries, with about 17,000 new spinal cord injuries nationwide each year.
In this new process developed at the University of Minnesota over the last two years, researchers start with any kind of cell from an adult, such as a skin cell or blood cell. Using new bioengineering techniques, the medical researchers are able to reprogram the cells into neuronal stem cells. The engineers print these cells onto a silicone guide using a unique 3D-printing technology in which the same 3D printer is used to print both the guide and the cells. The guide keeps the cells alive and allows them to change into neurons. The team developed a prototype guide that would be surgically implanted into the damaged part of the spinal cord and help connect living cells on each side of the injury.
“Everything came together at the right time,” Parr said. “We were able to use the latest cell bioengineering techniques developed in just the last few years and combine that with cutting-edge 3D-printing techniques.”
Even with the latest technology, developing the prototype guides wasn’t easy.
“3D printing such delicate cells was very difficult,” McAlpine said. “The hard part is keeping the cells happy and alive. We tested several different recipes in the printing process. The fact that we were able to keep about 75 percent of the cells alive during the 3D-printing process and then have them turn into healthy neurons is pretty amazing.”
If the next steps are successful, the payoff for this research could be life-changing for those who suffer from spinal cord injuries.
“We’ve found that relaying any signals across the injury could improve functions for the patients,” Parr said. “There’s a perception that people with spinal cord injuries will only be happy if they can walk again. In reality, most want simple things like bladder control or to be able to stop uncontrollable movements of their legs. These simple improvements in function could greatly improve their lives.”
Learn more: New 3D-printed device could help treat spinal cord injuries
The Latest on: Spinal cord injury
via Google News
The Latest on: Spinal cord injury
- Levetiracetam treatment leads to functional recovery after thoracic or cervical injuries of the spinal cordon March 2, 2021 at 7:27 am
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to dramatic impairments of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions of affected individuals. Following the primary injury, there is an increased release of glutamate that ...
- Spinal Implants and Surgery Devices Market Trend, Forecast, Drivers, Restraints, Company Profiles and Key Players Analysis by 2027on February 28, 2021 at 7:56 pm
Spinal Implants and Surgery Devices Market The global spinal implants and surgery devices market is projected to ...
- Ryan Shazier feels “blessed,” so he helps other spinal cord patients get treatmenton February 24, 2021 at 12:36 pm
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier’s football career came to a sudden end when he suffered a serious spinal cord injury. But rather than viewing himself as unlucky to have encountered such a fate, ...
- New evidence stem cell therapy helps spinal injury patientson February 23, 2021 at 4:00 pm
A detailed analysis of 13 case histories has found intravenous injections of stem cells lead to substantial motor function improvements in patients suffering spinal cord injury. The research also ...
- Doctors might have figured out how to cure spinal cord injurieson February 23, 2021 at 4:00 pm
The worst type of spinal cord injuries can lead to permanent loss of sensory and motor function, meaning people will lose feeling below the region of the injury as well as movement. As it stands ...
- Scientists use patients' own stem cells to restore function after spinal cord injuryon February 22, 2021 at 3:49 pm
Intravenous injection of bone marrow derived stem cells (MSCs) in patients with spinal cord injuries led to significant improvement in motor functions, researchers from Yale University and Japan ...
- Possible Costs of Treating a Back Injuryon February 22, 2021 at 7:20 am
Back injuries are common in car crashes and other accidents. They take time to heal and may or may not respond to many different types of treatments. They can also be quite expensive to treat, and as ...
- Massachusetts HS hockey player speaks publicly for first time since serious spinal cord injuryon February 21, 2021 at 6:18 am
In a video shared on Twitter, A.J. Quetta thanked everyone for their support, especially his teammates at Bishop Feehan High School.
- Watch: Teen hockey player says he's thankful for support after spinal injuryon February 20, 2021 at 1:13 pm
Bishop Feehan hockey player A.J. Quetta, who suffered a serious spinal cord injury in January, released a video message thanking his teammates and everyone else who has supported him.
via Bing News