Rats Regain Mobility After Spinal Cord Repair. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have achieved a remarkable step forward in spinal cord injury treatment by merging 3D printing, stem cell science, and lab-grown tissues. Their new method, recently published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, enabled rats with completely severed spinal cords to regain the ability to walk. The team developed a special 3D-printed scaffold—think of it as a tiny framework laced with microscopic channels—that guides stem cells to become functional nerve cells. These scaffolds, known as organoid scaffolds, are seeded with spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs), which are derived from human adult stem cells. These cells possess a unique ability to multiply and differentiate into the specific nerve cells required for spinal cord repair. “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,” explained Guebum ...