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38 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2018 impedance with traces less than .004" on com- mon substrates. Because of that, these traces should only be used near the device for break- out and not generally across the entire PCB. Summary PCB designers have become used to ever- shrinking boards and components, trends that will continue for the foreseeable future. New technologies, such as via-in-pad, smaller traces near BGAs, and design rules incorporated into today's modern EDA tools can give designers the tools to layout these signal-dense devices. Using these tools can make breaking out and routing BGAs as painless as is possible. DESIGN007 Christian Keller is a field applications engineer with Altium. Engineers and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota have teamed up to create a groundbreaking 3D-printed device that could someday help patients with long-term spinal cord injuries regain some function. A 3D-printed guide, made of silicone, serves as a plat- form for specialized cells that are then 3D printed on top of it. The guide would be surgically implanted into the injured area of the spinal cord where it would serve as a type of "bridge" between living nerve cells above and below the area of injury. The hope is that this would help patients alleviate pain as well as regain some functions like control of muscles, bowel and bladder. "This is the first time anyone has been able to directly 3D print neuronal stem cells derived from adult human cells on a 3D-printed guide and have the cells differ - entiate into active nerve cells in the lab," said Michael McAlpine, Ph.D., a co-author of the study and University of Minnesota Benjamin Mayhugh associate professor of Mechanical Engineering in the University's College of Sci - ence and Engineering. "This is a very exciting first step in developing a treatment to help people with spinal cord injuries," said Ann Parr, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the study and University of Minnesota Medical School assis - tant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Stem Cell Institute. "Currently, there aren't any good, precise treatments for those with long-term spinal cord injuries. Everything came together at the right time. We were able to use the latest cell bioengineering techniques devel - oped in just the last few years and combine that with cutting-edge 3D-printing techniques." There are currently about 285,000 people in the United States who suffer from spinal cord injuries, with about 17,000 new spinal cord injuries nationwide each year. Source: Univ. of Minnesota New 3D-Printed Device Could Help Treat Spinal Cord Injuries