Combinatorial Trends of Tissue Engineering for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Abstract

Peripheral nerve damage is frequently seen due to injury or illnesses, like diabetes. Despite its prevalence and the fact that many patients with less serious injuries have good clinical outcomes, many patients do not fully recover sensation and in many cases, use of the affected area. For this reason, there has been extensive research into improving or replacing the current treatment options. Many tissue engineering solutions focus on peripheral nerve injury or damage caused specifically by external trauma. The aim of this paper is to list and summarize the primary areas of research for tissue engineering approaches to peripheral nerve regeneration. Moreover, the focus is on the increasing awareness that no single tissue engineering technique is currently capable of providing optimal healing and regeneration for peripheral nerve damage and may never be fully capable of providing complete regeneration. Instead, clinical outcomes may be improved by combining these techniques in multifaceted approaches some of which include combining growth factors and nerve guidance conduits.