SPbSU of NeuroPrint

Main article: 3D - printing in medicine

2020: Announcement of NeuroPrint

On September 21, 2020 it became known that researchers from St. Petersburg State University developed 3D technology - printings of soft neuroprostheses of NeuroPrint which in the long term can help with literal sense to deliver the person on legs after an injury of a spinal cord. This development already showed the efficiency in researches on mammals and small fishes Danio-rerio. Results are published in the scientific magazine Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Pavel Musiyenko, head of the laboratory of neuroprostheses of Institute of transmitting biomedicine of SPbSU, doctor of medical sciences, professor

As more than one billion people, i.e. about 15% of the population of Earth were explained, according to World Health Organization, have different kinds of disability. Besides, annually to half a million people get injured on a spinal cord which often are followed by loss of sensitivity and an opportunity to go and also violations of work of internals. To find methods to recover people with disabilities health, researchers are engaged in development of the invasive neuroprostheses capable to carry out an electric signal to back and a brain and to recover the lost functions.

One of the main problems which doctors and scientists face is fine tuning of neuroprostheses to surrounding nervous tissues of this or that person. Despite biocompatible elastic materials, it is not always possible to adapt the device for anatomic and age features of the patient quickly. The solution of this problem was proposed by a team of scientists under the leadership of professor Pavel Musiyenko from Institute of transmitting biomedicine of SPbSU and professor Ivan Minev from the University of Sheffield (Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield). They developed 3D technology - printing which allows to make individual neuroimplants for recovery and monitoring of motive functions and functions of internals at damages of nervous system.

Such personalized approach became possible thanks to technologies hybrid 3D - NeuroPrint printings. At first in the printer the geometry of future neuroimplant from silicone which also serves as the isolating material is created. Then microparticles of platinum or other electroconductive element of an implant are applied on a basis. Then activation of a surface by means of cold plasma is carried out. And the quantity and a configuration of electrodes in a neuroimplant can be changed, receiving devices for implantation in tissue of a spinal cord, brain or muscles. The average time of production from creation of the project before receiving a prototype can be only 24 hours.

Thanks to this technology process of creation of neuroimplants can accelerate and be reduced the price. Considering compactness of the equipment and universality of approach, it is impossible to exclude that in the future it will be directly possible to make individual neuroimplants for the specific patient in hospital, fully following the principles of the personalized medicine and as much as possible reducing the cost and delivery dates. professor Pavel Musiyenko, the head of the laboratory of neuroprostheses of Institute of transmitting biomedicine of SPbSU the doctor of medical sciences told

Neurobiologists already used NeuroPrint technology for carrying out researches on different model objects — mammals and small fishes Danio-rerio. They managed to show that neuroimplants have the sufficient level of biointegration and functional stability and also do not concede to the analogs in work with recovery of motive functions of extremities and control of functions of a bladder. Besides, scientists could print soft implants, in a form and mechanical characteristics close to an outside soyedinitelnotkanny cover of a brain.

We tested development in experiences on freely moving rats for chronic assignments of elektrokortikalny signals of a cerebral cortex - it is a necessary element of a brain computer interface. And in experiences on the paralyzed animals electric stimulation of neural networks effectively recovered locomotory function. professor Pavel Musiyenko, the head of the laboratory of neuroprostheses of Institute of transmitting biomedicine of SPbSU the doctor of medical sciences added

Scientists of SPbSU, Institute of physiology of I.P. Pavlov of RAS, Russian scientific center of radiology and surgical technologies of A.M. Granov, the St. Petersburg research institute of a ftiziopulmonologiya of the Russian Ministry of Health, Ural Federal University, Dresden University of Technology (Germany) and the University of Sheffield (Great Britain) participated in a research.

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