3D Bioprinting for Spinal Cord Injury: Engineering Scaffolds for Functional Recovery

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to irreversible sensory and motor deficits due to its limited capacity for regeneration of the central nervous system (CNS). While the current clinical strategies focus on neuroprotection and stabilization of the symptoms, they offer very little in terms of restoring long-term functional recovery. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has opened new possibilities for constructing patient specific scaffolds that mimic the structural and biochemical complexities of native spinal tissue. The incorporation of cells, biomaterials, and growth factors, in 3D bioprinting provides incomparable control over the architecture of the scaffold, which in turn enables recreation of biomimetic environment that supports axonal outgrowth and neural recovery following SCI. This review focuses on the recent advances in 3D bioprinting techniques for SCI repair and discusses the potential of the techniques to be implemented in SCI models. Focus is placed on the bioink formulation, scaffold design strategies, and emerging functional features. The amalgamation of current findings underscores the potential of 3D bioprinting as a mature platform for the development of next-generation therapies for spinal cord injury.