by Franziska Schmid, ETH Zurich
edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan
Schematic illustration of nerve cell recovery in zebrafish and mice. Credit: ETH Zurich
Spinal cord injuries can have devastating consequences for those affected. Nerve cells in the spinal cord rarely regenerate naturally, while scarring often prevents the regrowth of nerve fibers. Modern therapies attempt to influence implanted stem cells using electrical stimulation to promote the growth of new nerve cells. This approach has several drawbacks: it requires implanted electrodes, and the transplanted cells do not always survive or integrate properly into the existing tissue.
Cells and nanoparticles cleverly combined
Researchers in Zurich are pursuing a new approach, which they have published in the journal Nature Materials. This involves combining therapeutic stem cells with magnetoelectric nanoparticles in such a way that the cells can be guided magnetically to the precise site of an injury and stimulate the stem cells to accelerate repair.
To achieve this, the researchers created a biohybrid microrobot, which combines living neural progenitor cells (NPCs) with a technical component in the form of specially engineered nanoparticles.
The NPCs are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which are regular body cells reprogrammed in the laboratory to regain stem cell properties. These iPS cells have the potential to differentiate into various types of nervous system cells.
The nanoparticles consist of two layers: an inner layer that responds to magnetic fields and an outer layer that converts this response into electrical signals. By combining these special nanoparticles with the progenitor cells, the researchers fabricate what are known as NPCbots.
More detail at;
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-biohybrid-microrobots-spinal-cord-combining.html