Title:
Engineering Approaches for Functional Nerve Regeneration
Engineering Approaches for Functional Nerve Regeneration
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Author(s)
Schmidt, Christine E.
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Abstract
Damage to spinal cord and peripheral nerve tissue can have a devastating impact on the quality
of life for individuals suffering from nerve injuries. Our research is focused on analyzing and
designing biomaterials that can interface with neurons and specifically stimulate and guide
nerves to regenerate. These biomaterials might be required for facial and hand reconstruction or
in trauma cases, and potentially could be used to aid the regeneration of damaged spinal cord. New technologies to aid nerve regeneration will ultimately require that biomaterials be designed
both to physically support tissue growth as well as to elicit desired receptor-specific responses
from particular cell types. One way of achieving such interactive biomaterials is with the use of
natural-based biomaterials that interact favorable with the body. In particular, our research has
focused on developing advanced hyaluronan-based scaffolds that can be used for peripheral and
spinal nerve regeneration applications. Hyaluronic acid (HA; also known as hyaluronan) is a
non-sulfated, high molecular weight, glycosaminoglycan found in all mammals and is a major
component of the extracellular matrix in the nervous system. HA has been shown to play a
significant role during embryonic development, extracellular matrix homeostasis, and, most
importantly for our purposes, in wound healing and tissue regeneration. HA is a versatile
biomaterial that has been used in a number of applications including tissue engineering scaffolds,
clinical therapies, and drug delivery devices. Our group has devised novel techniques to process
this sugar material into forms that can be used in therapeutic applications. For example, we are
using advanced laser-based processes to create “lines” of specific proteins within the hyaluronan
materials to provide physical and chemical guidance features for the individual re-growing
axons. We have found that these materials facilitate neuron interactions and are thus highly
promising for regenerating peripheral and spinal nerves in vivo. In a parallel approach to foster nerve regeneration, our group has developed natural tissue
scaffolds termed “acellular tissue grafts” created by chemical processing of normal intact nerve
tissue. These grafts are created from natural biological tissue— human cadaver nerves— and are
chemically processed so that they do not cause an immune response and are therefore not
rejected in patients. These grafts have been optimized to maintain the natural intricate
architecture of the nerve pathways, and thus, they are ideal for promoting the re-growth of
damaged axons across lesions. These engineered, biological nerve grafts are used in the clinic
and are an example of how our research is promoting the development of biomedical products
that can improve human health.
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Date Issued
2010-09-01
Extent
59:50 minutes
Resource Type
Moving Image
Resource Subtype
Lecture