Magnetic NPC Bots Repair Severed Spinal Cords in Mice, Hinting at a Breakthrough Therapy

ETH Zurich researchers engineered NPCbots—magnetically guided nanoparticles paired with patient-derived neural progenitor cells—to bridge a completely severed spinal cord in mice (and showed promising results in zebrafish). After 28 days, nerve ends reconnected and gait and coordination improved, with no adverse effects, signaling a potential new therapy for spinal injuries pending further animal testing and optimization of magnetic stimulation before human trials.