Grant: Project Grant

The section of a peripheral nerve over a distance of several centimeters causes severe motor and sensory impairments of hands, arms or legs compromising the quality of life of the patients. The purpose of this project is to repair this type of injury by interposing between the two nerve stumps a tissue-engineered nerve tube prepared with the patient's own cells. This tube will be fully biocompatible and biodegradable and is expected to accelerate the nerve repair process because of the support of living cells secreting growth factors. In addition, the conduit will be prevascularized with endothelial cells to promote the development of a network of capillaries inside the tube leading to a rapid connection to the host's blood circulation after graft. This project is expected to greatly enhance the repair of severed nerves following trauma, surgery, or ablation of tumors.