Peer Reviewed
1
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
21-12-2016
Keywords
Nerve Guidance Conduits, Neurotrophic Factors, Peripheral Nerve Repair, Schwann Cells
Funder/Sponsor
This review has emanated from research supported from an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Fellowship (Government of Ireland), Grant Number GOIPG/2013/177, and Science Foundation Ireland, Grant Number SFI/12/RC/2278. Funding was also provided by the European Research Council (award number: 239685 (Seventh Framework Programme)).
Abstract
Peripheral nerve injuries have high incidence rates, limited treatment options and poor clinical outcomes, rendering a significant socioeconomic burden. For effective peripheral nerve repair, the gap or site of injury must be structurally bridged to promote correct reinnervation and functional regeneration. However, effective repair becomes progressively more difficult with larger gaps. Autologous nerve grafting remains the best clinical option for the repair of large gaps (20–80 mm) despite being associated with numerous limitations including permanent donor site morbidity, a lack of available tissue and the formation of neuromas. To meet the clinical demand of large gap repair and overcome these limitations, tissue engineering has led to the development of nerve guidance conduit-based therapeutics. This review focuses on the advances of nerve guidance conduit-based therapeutics in terms of their structural properties including biomimetic composition, permeability, architecture, and surface modifications. Associated biochemical properties, pertaining to the incorporation of cells and neurotrophic factors, are also reviewed. After reviewing the progress in the field, we conclude by presenting an outlook on their clinical translatability and the next generation of therapeutics.
Disciplines
Anatomy
Citation
Lackington WA, Ryan A, O'Brien FJ. Advances in Nerve Guidance Conduit-Based Therapeutics for Peripheral Nerve Repair. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. 2016 [in press]
Link to this item at
http://epubs.rcsi.ie/anatart/99/
DOI Link
10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00500
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Comments
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00500?src=recsys