Precision in Spinal Cord Injury Research: A Novel Electromagnetic Impactor for a Consistent Porcine Model

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Surgical Devices

Background:

• Standardized large animal models are crucial for preclinical evaluation of spinal cord injury (SCI) therapeutics.
• Current lack of commercial, standardized devices for inducing SCI hinders research reproducibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and test a custom impactor device for producing repeatable contusion SCI in porcine models.
• To establish a reliable large animal model for SCI research.

Main Methods:

• Device design and fabrication.
• Mechanical modeling and benchtop calibration for impact force.
• In vivo testing in porcine models with intraoperative ultrasound and ex vivo histological analysis.

Main Results:

• Mechanical modeling accurately predicted benchtop impact forces.
• The device demonstrated repeatability with low variability (0.2-0.7 N SD) across a force range (12.8-67.6 N).
• In vivo contusion injuries were successfully induced and confirmed via ultrasound and histology.

Conclusions:

• The custom impactor device enables repeatable and titratable contusion SCI in large animal models.
• This advancement facilitates the evaluation of potential therapeutics for human SCI.