In a breakthrough that blends cutting-edge bioengineering with regenerative medicine, scientists at the University of Minnesota have developed a 3D-printed organoid scaffold that helped paralyzed rats walk again. The scaffold, designed with tiny microscopic channels, was seeded with spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs) derived from adult stem cells.
Once implanted into rats with fully severed spinal cords, these cells matured into nerve cells and extended new fibers both toward the head (rostral) and tail (caudal), establishing connections with the host’s own spinal networks. Over time, the implanted tissue integrated seamlessly, creating a functional relay system that bypassed the damaged area and restored significant mobility.
The method involves creating a unique 3D-printed framework for lab-grown organs, called an organoid scaffold, with microscopic channels. Credit: McAlpine Research Group, University of Minnesota
This achievement marks the first time a printed scaffold combined with lab-grown cells has shown such striking recovery in spinal cord injuries. While still early in development, the work offers a glimpse of what future treatments could look like for people living with paralysis. The researchers are now working to refine the approach and scale it up, with the hope that this “mini spinal cord” technology may one day translate into human therapies.
Research article: Rats walk again after breakthrough spinal cord repair with 3D printing
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