Can a novel 3D bioprinting method help cure paralysis?

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology of China have undertaken a collaborative project that has resulted in the development of a novel bio-ink for use in 3D bioprinting that congeals at room temperature. This aspect of the bio-ink can prevent neurons from differentiating into cells that are not implicated in the transfer of information via electrical impulses. In a new study, published in the journal Biomaterials, the team outlines how the bio-ink can be 3D-printed into scaffolds that encourage interactions between cells, which is vital to reversing the paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury.

The team first created a bio-ink from natural chitosan sugars, hyaluronic acids, and matrigel, into which it then added rat neural stem cells. A BioScaffolder 3D bioprinter was then used to precisely place the mixture into cell-laden scaffolds, which were then placed in culture plates.

The scaffolds were then injected into paraplegic lab rats. Researchers determined that the viability of the scaffolds was 95% and that they could encourage the regeneration of neurons to such an extent that the once paraplegic rats began to regain movement of their hind legs. Over the course of 12 weeks, the rats regained more control of their limbs, with movement reemerging in the hips, knees and ankles. Pressure sensors that measured the strength of the animals’ kicks were used to demonstrate how the rats’ muscle strength increased over time.

You can read more about this innovative approach HERE.