Aligned cellular and acellular collagen guidance substrates for peripheral nerve repair

Georgiou, Melanie; Loughlin, Jane; Golding, Jon and Phillips, James (2011). Aligned cellular and acellular collagen guidance substrates for peripheral nerve repair. In: Tissue and Cell Engineering Society, 19-21 Jul 2011, Leeds.

URL: http://www.ecmjournal.org/journal/supplements/vol0...

Abstract

There is a clinical demand to shorten the delay of reinnervation and improve functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury. A peripheral nerve repair device with the ability to direct and promote axon growth across a lesion would be a promising alternative to nerve autograft repair, the current gold standard treatment. The growth of axons across a lesion is most effective when supported by columns of aligned Schwann cells, as found in an autograft. Here we report the development of a robust aligned cellular collagen biomaterial that supports and directs neuronal growth. We also investigate the potential of these aligned cells to precondition the collagen biomaterial, before they are freeze-killed, leaving an acellular guidance matrix.

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