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Acquired nerve damage can be caused by a variety of different factors, including but not limited to a physical injury (the most common cause) such as a sporting accident, an automobile accident or a fall, whilst diabetes, vascular conditions, autoimmune diseases, nutritional imbalances and certain infections can attack nerve tissue.



The current treatment options for nerve damage are arguably sub optimal and, as a result, patients often express that they experience low quality of life and feel debilitated by their nerve damage.1





Recipe for regeneration



Kacey Marra, Professor of Plastic Surgery at the

likens this process to replacing a piece of linguine with a bundle of angel hair pasta: "It just doesn't work as well."









Linguine pasta. Credit: Pixabay.



In a new study published in Science Translational Medicine, Marra and a team of researchers have explored a novel solution to nerve damage treatment.2



The scientists have created a biodegradable nerve guide consisting of a polymer tube filled with a growth-promoting protein, glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, or GDNF. "GDNF is a protein that is naturally found in the body. Schwann cells upregulate GDNF immediately following a peripheral nerve injury in order to start the nerve regeneration process," Marra told Technology Networks.



The study outlines their exploration of the device in a monkey model of nerve damage. Marra says the guide proved "Comparable to, and in some ways better than, a nerve graft."





Replacing linguine with... linguine?







Timing is key





Translating to humans



Kacey Marra, Ph.D., Professor of Plastic Surgery at Pitt, was speaking with Molly Campbell, Science Writer, Technology Networks.

References:

1. Menorca, Fussell and Elfar. (2013). Peripheral Nerve Trauma: Mechanisms of Injury and Recovery. Hand Clinics. DOI: 10.1016/j.hcl.2013.04.002.



2. Fadia et al. (2020). Long-gap peripheral nerve repair through sustained release of a neurotrophic factor in nonhuman primates. Science Translational Medicine. DOI: https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/527/eaav7753.



