Magnetic NPC Bots Repair Severed Spinal Cords in Mice, Hinting at a Breakthrough Therapy
TL;DR
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.
- Mouse with Severed Spinal Cord Recovers ‘Normal’ Movement After Potentially Revolutionary Treatment Good News Network
- Magnetoelectric microrobots for spinal cord injury regeneration Nature
- Microrobots repair spinal cord ETH Zürich
- Injectable nanorobots may help heal spinal injuries Popular Science
- Swiss researchers restore movement in mouse with severed spinal cord using microrobots Audacy
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