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Emerging Technologies for Particle Engineering
Published in Dilip M. Parikh, Handbook of Pharmaceutical Granulation Technology, 2021
Research in the use of nanotechnology for regenerative medicine spans several application areas, including bone and neural tissue engineering. For instance, novel materials can be engineered to mimic the crystal mineral structure of human bone or used as a restorative resin for dental applications. Researchers are looking for ways to grow complex tissues with the goal of one-day growing human organs for transplant. Researchers are also studying ways to use graphene nanoribbons to help repair spinal cord injuries; preliminary research shows that neurons grow well on the conductive graphene surface.
Nanotechnological Strategies for Engineering Complex Tissues
Published in Lajos P. Balogh, Nano-Enabled Medical Applications, 2020
Tal Dvir, Brian P. Timko, Daniel S. Kohane, Robert Langer
One of the main obstacles in neural tissue engineering for the regeneration of a nerve tissue such as the spinal cord may be the loss of anisotropic conduction within the cell-seeded construct owing to lack of tissue consistency or to the non-conductive nature of the biomaterial. One approach to addressing this problem is to incorporate conducting nanostructures into the cell culture. Neurons that grow on a conductive nanotube meshwork display more efficient signal transmission [70–72]. In a recent study, Cellot and co-workers provided new mechanistic insight into how nanotubes target the integrative properties of neurons, showing that nanotubes can improve the responsiveness of neurons by forming tight contacts with the cell membranes that might favour electrical shortcuts between different compartments of the neuron [73]. Such neuronal/nanotube network hybrids may allow one to predict or engineer the interactions between nanomaterials and neurons, and guide the design of smart biomaterials for the engineering of electrically propagating tissues.
Use new poly (ε-caprolactone/collagen/NBG) nerve conduits along with NGF for promoting peripheral (sciatic) nerve regeneration in a rat
Published in Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 2018
Forouzan Mohamadi, Somayeh Ebrahimi-Barough, Mohammad Reza Nourani, Akbar Ahmadi, Jafar Ai
Peripheral nerve injury is a serious health problem in today’s society that can lead to permanent disability [1]. Peripheral nerve reconstruction remains a medical challenge. Recent clinical treatments, especially for large nerve gaps, involve the utilization of autografts and suturing of the gaps. Although, this method is in most cases ineffective because of the mismatch of sizes between the donor and recipient tissues, donor site morbidity, loss of function at the donor sites and complex surgical procedures [2]. Neural tissue engineering is one of the most promising ways of treating nerve damage [3]. Therefore, To seek alternatives for autografts, the development of artificial nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) is ideal as an alternative [4,5]. For artificial NGCs, remarkable efforts have been made directed by the aim to best mimic components and the structures of autologous nerve. With the progress of fabricating methods during the past decades, structures of nerve channels have been greatly improved to satisfy various kinds of requirements including nanofibrous and porous channel wall with proper permeability and degradability, along with ideal mechanical properties in resisting collapse and stretch forces when applied in vivo [4]. Electrospinning is a prominent strategy to make nanofibrous conduits able to assure tailored porosity, degradation rate, suitable mechanical properties and large surface areas for suitable cell attachment. This unique feature on structure promotes extensive exploration on its use for neural tissue engineering [6].
Tailoring synthetic polymeric biomaterials towards nerve tissue engineering: a review
Published in Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 2019
Hamed Amani, Hanif Kazerooni, Hossein Hassanpoor, Abolfazl Akbarzadeh, Hamidreza Pazoki-Toroudi
Although reconnecting the two nerve ends can be an efficient approach for repair of small defects or gaps, it not suitable for large gaps since the presence of any tension in the site of injury inhibits regeneration. In the case of large gaps, an autologous nerve graft can contribute to the span of the damaged area [12]. Likewise, this process possesses several major disadvantages including the possibility of a mismatch between donor and recipient nerves, limited availability of donor tissue, secondary deformities, donor site morbidity, and requirement of a second surgery to provide the donor nerve [13,14]. In the case of CNS injuries, particularly SCI, clinical treatment options are anti-inflammatory drugs that can provide protection against secondary injury. Indeed, there is no current treatment to improve function or hinder primary injury after CNS injuries. Currently, many novel therapeutic agents and methods have been introduced to treat neurological disorders and other diseases [15–19]. Tissue engineering is defined as fabrication of tissue substitutes that imitate the structural and physiological nature of native tissue by merging principles and methods of cell biology, engineering, and material science [20,21]. In recent years, researchers have developed neural tissue engineering strategies as potential treatments for CNS and PNS injuries to overcome drawbacks of current therapeutic approaches or techniques [22,23]. Owing to unique properties, Polymer biomaterials have attracted much attention from the scientific community for neural tissue engineering purposes and controlling neuronal cell behaviors such as proliferation, differentiation, neurite outgrowth as well as nerve gap bridging [24]. Generally, a comprehensive understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of synthetic polymeric biomaterials and possible solution for tailoring them neural tissue engineering is needed in their future translation for routine clinical use. A pointed understanding of the synthetic polymeric biomaterials and their physiochemical properties contribute to the promotion of the therapeutic benefits and reduction of adverse effects.