Bioresorbable polymeric nerve guidance conduits with enhanced bioactivity  

Inventor(s): Sanjeeva Murthy, Daniel Chakhalian, Jarrod Cohen, Robert Shultz and Joachim Kohn

Date Awarded: November 2020

Summary:

When peripheral nerves are injured, motor function and sensation is lost from the site of the injury to the end of the affected limb. To regain function, nerves must regrow or regenerate from the injury site throughout the length of the limb in a timely fashion.

Regeneration can and does occur following surgical repair of the injured nerve. In cases where the injury leaves a gap or defect in the healthy nerve tissue, surgeons may opt to repair the gap by sewing a hollow tube or conduit to both nerve stumps. After this repair, our bodies exhibit a remarkable ability to regenerate- but only if the gap is small. When the gap is too big, our natural regenerative capabilities fail.

Existing conduits, which are made from bioinert materials, do not directly target our body’s natural attempts to regenerate- our invention does. By leveraging our group’s diverse expertise spanning polymer chemistry and physics, materials science, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, we have developed novel bioactive conduits designed to promote key steps in the wound healing process, maximizing the body’s natural efforts to regrow nerves. Our invention is expected to provide significant benefits over existing technologies, ultimately enhancing patient recovery.

Market Applications: 

• Peripheral nerve repair