mm-sized multi-channel biodegradable scaffolds were produced in Italy with micrometer resolution using the innovative 3D printing technique called Mask Projection Excimer laser StereoLithography (MPExSL). In China these scaffolds were successfully combined with collagen biomaterial, creating a novel molecule delivery platform with stable spatial support in vivo. When coated with bioactive CBD‐NT3 and implanted into transected spinal cord, the treatment showed effective neurotrophy and protection of neural tissues, inducing axonal regrowth and functional neuron regeneration, and promoting myelination and synapse formation of these regenerated axons. The porous structure of the delivery platform provided attachment and channels for host endogenous NSCs, which achieved migration, proliferation and differentiation under this improved microenvironment, along with reduction of CSPG deposits and fibrotic scarring, contributing to neuronal regeneration. The anatomical outcomes corresponded with the enhancement of functional assays that showed significantly better electrophysiological and locomotor recovery in rats receiving treatment combining PPF with collagen and CBD‐NT3 that could be beneficial to clinical research in the future.

This study has been conducted within the EU-CHINA collaborative project “Rapid prototyping scaffolds for the nervous system” – NEUROSCAFFOLDS, funded by the EC and Chinese Accademy of Science.

Article: “Functional Multichannel Poly(Propylene Fumarate)‐Collagen Scaffold with Collagen‐Binding Neurotrophic Factor 3 Promotes Neural Regeneration After Transected Spinal Cord Injury”,
Xi Chen, Yannan Zhao, Xing Li, Zhifeng Xiao, Yuanjiang Yao, Yun Chu, Balázs Farkas, Ilaria Romano, Fernando Brandi, Jianwu Dai, in Advanced Healthcare Materials https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201800315