以色列再生医学公司Matricelfhas successfully tested a “first-of-its-kind” 3D printed spinal cord tissue implant on paralyzed mice that has enabled them to walk again.
利用3D生物打印技术开发Tel Aviv University(TAU), the firm successfully 3D printed and implanted a human tissue spinal cord implant into mice with both acute and chronic paralysis. All of the mice with acute paralysis regained their ability to walk, while the success rate of those with chronic paralysis was 80 percent.
With Matricelf now gearing up to enter into human trials with its 3D printed spinal cord implants by the end of 2024, the firm says a treatment for paralysis could potentially be only a few years away.
“This is a remarkable scientific achievement that represents the potential of Matricelf’s innovative and unique technology to develop complete autologous neural implants for patients with spinal cord injury,” said Asaf Toker, Matricelf’s CEO.
“这项研究的结果为未来动物研究的道路铺平了人们的临床试验。”
矩阵的3D生物打印技术
Matricelf的最新发展是由签署独家全球许可协议with TAU’s technology transfer firmRamotlast month for a patent-pending 3D bioprinting technology. The technology has been in development for the last decade at Professor Tal Dvir’s Department of Biotechnology at TAU, who is also one of the founders of Matricelf and the firm’s Chief Scientific Officer.
生物打印技术通过同时生产生物组织和器官的患者衍生而来的3D打印细胞和细胞外基质（ECM）的作用。该过程利用液体纳米粒子稳定印刷结构并确保高分辨率和精度，然后在打印后从结构中提取。
该技术目前正在美国和欧洲进行专利批准过程，用于生产“world’s first” 3D printed heart in 2019，配有细胞，血管，心室和腔室。
A potential cure for paralysis
Matricelf在一份新论文中发表了其开创性研究的细节，DVIR声称历史上第一次，工程人的人体组织已在动物模型中恢复了长期慢性瘫痪。
With this currently being the most relevant model for paralysis treatment for humans, the study holds great promise for the development of future cures leveraging 3D bioprinting technologies.
The scientists began by taking a small biopsy of belly fat tissue from a patient containing cells and ECM. After separating the cells from the ECM, the team used genetic engineering to reprogram the cells and revert them to a state resembling embryonic stem cells capable of becoming any type of cell in the body.
供体移植的主要问题之一是寡糖r tendency to trigger an immune response and rejection after implantation. The team hoped to overcome this by using the patient’s ECM to form the basis of a personalized hydrogel within which the stem cells were encapsulated. The cells were then turned into 3D printed implants of neuronal networks containing motor neurons through a process mimicking the embryonic development of the spinal cord.
然后将脊髓植入物植入一组小鼠中，其中一半最近被瘫痪（急性瘫痪），其中一半以人为术语为等效的一年（慢性瘫痪）。
Following implantation and a rapid rehabilitation process, all of the mice with acute paralysis regained their ability to walk, compared to 80 percent of those with chronic paralysis.
矩阵已经与美国食品药品监督管理局(FDA), and is now planning the first human clinical trial of its 3D printed spinal cord implants at the end of 2024. In the meantime, the firm will continue to conduct additional efficacy and safety trials on lab rats.
“We hope to start clinical trials in humans within the next few years, and ultimately get these patients back on their feet,” said Dvir. “The innovative technology can serve as a platform for the generation of various engineered tissues for the treatment of additional medical conditions.”
Further information on the study can be found in the paper titled:“Regenerating the injured spinal cord at the chronic phase by engineered iPSCs-derived 3D neuronal networks,”published in the Advanced Science journal. The study is co-authored by L. Wertheim, R. Edri, Y. Goldshmit, T. Kagan, N. Noor, A. Ruban, A. Shapira, I. Gat-Viks, Y. Assaf, and T. Dvir.
脊髓治疗的进步
与许多其他再生医学应用一样，3D打印对改进和enhancing the success rates of spinal surgeriesand treatments. While Matricelf’s breakthrough seems to be the furthest ahead in terms of realizing real-world human applications so far, there have been several other notable advances in this area in recent years.
Back in 2018, researchers at the明尼苏达大学developed a prototype for a3D printed scaffold with living cellsthat has the potential to help restore some function to patients with spinal cord injuries. Made from silicone and stem cells, the bioprinted scaffold could be placed within a patient’s spinal cord to serve as a kind of bridge between living nerve cells located around an injury. 2019, meanwhile, saw scientists from theUniversity of California San Diego成功地3D print a two milimeter spinal cord implant修复大鼠的脊髓损伤。
Regarding surgical applications, orthopedic implant firm4WEB医疗added astand-alone Anterior Spin Truss Systemto its 3D printed spin implant portfolio in 2020, designed to provide surgeons with greater confidence during spinal procedures.
Most recently, Texas-based 3D printed orthopedic device developerOrthofix Medical推出了新的FORZA Ti PLIF Spacer Systemdesigned for use in Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion surgeries.
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Featured image showsthe stages of Matricelf’s 3D bioprinted spinal cord process. Image via Matricelf.
