World SCI Day is observed every 5 September to raise awareness about spinal cord injuries and to highlight issues that matter most to people living with SCI. iscos.org.uk
This year’s theme is “Fall Prevention, Spinal Cord Protection,” reminding us that falls are one of the leading yet preventable causes of SCI. The International Spinal Cord Society calls for education, safer environments, empowerment and research to reduce falls and protect spinal cords.
Why prevention matters
Millions of people worldwide live with spinal cord injuries, and most new injuries result from accidents and falls. People with SCI face long‑term health challenges and are more likely to die prematurely. Preventing injuries—especially falls—is critical for protecting independence and quality of life.
Piezo4Spine: Innovating for recovery
While prevention saves lives, people already living with SCI need better treatments. Piezo4Spine, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, is developing a bioprinted 3D theramesh that delivers gene and molecuar therapies directly to the injury. Our approach targets two key barriers to recovery: helping damaged neural cells sense and respond to healing cues and reducing the scar tissue that blocks regrowth.
Our progress so far
Listening to neurons: We built an organic “artificial soma” that recognises patterns in nerve signals and a sensor that monitors dopamine changes. These tools will let us track how the spinal cord responds to therapy.
Supporting regrowth: Meshes encouraged axons to grow through complete injuries in rats, and magnetic hydrogels maintained healthy neural networks. These advances inform the design of our 3D mesh.
Accelerating research: We developed a machine‑learning regressor that speeds up nanomechanical studies and discovered that cells soften under high‑frequency probing, guiding the mechanical properties of our materials.
Improving delivery: Studying different magnetic nanoparticles showed how small changes affect cell uptake and membrane behaviour. Nanogrooved surfaces boosted neurite growth. These insights help us design safer, more effective gene‑therapy carriers.