Cochlear implantation has become the most effective treatment method for patients with profound and total hearing loss. However, its therapeutic efficacy is dependent on the number and normal physiological function of cochlear implant-targeted spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Electrical stimulation can be used as an effective cue to regulate the morphology and function of excitatory cells. Therefore, it is important to develop an efficient cochlear implant electroacoustic stimulation (EAS) system to study the behavior of SGNs. In this work, we present an electrical stimulation system constructed by combining a cochlear implant and a conductive Ti3C2T x MXene–matrigel hydrogel. SGNs were cultured in the Ti3C2T x MXene–matrigel hydrogel and exposed to electrical stimulation transduced by the cochlear implant. It was demonstrated that low-frequency stimulation promoted the growth cone development and neurite outgrowth of SGNs as well as signal transmission between cells. This work may have potential value for the clinical application of the Ti3C2T x MXene hydrogel to optimize the postoperative listening effect of cochlear implantation and benefit people with sensorineural hearing loss.

Both traumatic and non‐traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can be categorized as damages done to our central nervous system (CNS). The patients' physical and mental health may suffer greatly because of traumatic SCI. With the widespread use of motor vehicles and increasingly aged population, the occurrence of SCI is more frequent than before, creating a considerable burden to global public health. The regeneration process of the spinal cord is hampered by a series of events that occur following SCI like edema, hemorrhage, formation of cystic cavities, and ischemia. An effective strategy for the treatment of SCI and functional recovery still has not been discovered; however, recent advances have been made in bioengineering fields that therapies based on cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules have proved effective in the repair of the spinal cord. In the light of worldwide importance of treatments for SCI, this article aims to provide a review of recent advances by first introducing the physiology, etiology, epidemiology, and mechanisms of SCI. We then put emphasis on the widely used clinical treatments and bioengineering strategies (cell‐based, biomaterial‐based, and biomolecule‐based) for the functional regeneration of the spinal cord as well as challenges faced by scientists currently. This article provides scientists and clinicians with a comprehensive outlook on the recent advances of preclinical and clinical treatments of SCI, hoping to help them find keys to the functional regeneration of SCI.

Spinal cord injury is a severe central nervous system injury, and developing appropriate drug delivery platforms for spinal nerve regeneration is highly anticipated. Here, we propose a basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-loaded methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel microsphere with ideal performances for spinal cord injury repair. Benefitting from the precise droplet manipulation capability of the microfluidic technology, the GelMA microspheres possess uniform and satisfactory size and good stability. More importantly, by taking advantage of the porous structures and facile chemical modification of the GelMA microspheres, bFGF could be easily loaded and gradually released. By co-culturing with neural stem cells, it is validated that the bFGF-loaded

Wound healing, known as a fundamental healthcare issue worldwide, has been attracting great attention from researchers. Here, novel bioactive gellan gum microfibers loaded with antibacterial peptides (ABPs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are proposed for wound healing by using microfluidic spinning. Benefitting from the high controllability of microfluidics, bioactive microfibers with uniform morphologies are obtained. The loaded ABPs are demonstrated to effectively act on bacteria at the wound site, reducing the risk of bacterial infection. Besides, sustained release of VEGF from microfibers helps to accelerate angiogenesis and further promote wound healing. The practical value of woven bioactive microfibers is demonstrated via animal experiments, where the wound healing process is greatly facilitated because of the excellent circulation of air and nutritious substances. Featured with the above properties, it is believed that the novel bioactive gellan gum microfibers would have a remarkable effect in the field of biomedical application, especially in promoting wound healing.