# 3D Bioprinted Spinal Cord Organoids as a Relay System for Spinal Cord Injury

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $442,883

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The long-term goal of this research is to define the mechanisms of action of a successful cell transplantation
therapy for chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to translate this knowledge from bench to bedside for patients.
Human SCI currently has no effective treatment, and any new treatments would have a significant impact on
public health. The overall objective of this proposal is to determine whether transplantation of regionally specific
bioprinted spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs) in combination with a 3D printed scaffold can result in the
formation of functional neuronal networks within the injured adult rat spinal cord. We have three specific aims.
The first aim is to optimize the biomaterial and design of the 3D printed scaffold, as well as the cell-laden bioink
utilized in bioprinting. The second aim is to determine the optimal cell configuration of two types of regionally
specific sNPCs within the scaffold to form functional neuronal networks. The third aim is to test our scaffold in a
rat model of transection injury to determine whether our cells can provide a relay system across the site of injury,
and whether this will result in functional recovery. We will perform detailed functional, histological, and
electrophysiological analyses to elucidate the mechanisms of our combinatorial treatment. The scientific
premise is that there is a synergistic relationship in providing the substrate (cells) for a relay system across the
injury site and optimizing this with a conduit (scaffold), providing an effective relay for neuronal signaling leading
to functional recovery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10296712
- **Project number:** 1R01NS119297-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ann M Parr
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $442,883
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-02 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10296712

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10296712, 3D Bioprinted Spinal Cord Organoids as a Relay System for Spinal Cord Injury (1R01NS119297-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10296712. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*