The University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson has achieved success in researching 3D printed scaffolds embedded with calcium and stem cells to treat bone injuries, reports Medical Device Network.
UACM received a $2 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for the research in January.
Three things to know:
1. The team, led by John A. Szivek, PhD, is building on research into how stem cells may be used with tissue engineering methods to improve bone regeneration.
2. Dr. Szivek said they have "achieved complete bone formation, covering a large bone defect" and "now we want to make that healing process even faster."
3. The 3D printed stem cell grafts can be customized to treat each patient's spinal cord injury.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego used a similar method to implant a 3D-printed spinal cord made from hydrogel into rats along with neural stem cells to treat severe spinal cord injuries.