Surface Functionalised Collagen Scaffolds for Peripheral Nerve Repair

周围神经损伤后能自然恢复；然而，手术干预往往是必要的，以帮助神经再生，特别是在较长的神经间隙。临床成功的一种手术选择是在受损的神经末梢之间放置神经导尿管，以支持和引导再生的轴突，而且在设计导尿管的结构和化学成分以优化神经再生方面还有很大的空间。任何神经损伤后的完全功能恢复是非常不可能的，即使有手术干预，瘢痕组织的形成是主要原因。减少神经管内成纤维细胞的浸润、附着和增殖应该会导致瘢痕组织形成的减少，尽管重要的是参与神经再生的其他细胞的活动不受抑制。因此，该项目旨在研究控制用作神经导向的三维胶原支架的细胞选择性的方法，主要是通过层粘胶蛋白衍生的IKVAV肽的表面功能化。减少成纤维细胞浸润的物理方法也将被研究，例如在神经导管周围制造胶原鞘。

Peripheral nerves can recover naturally following injuries; however, surgical intervention is often necessary to aid nerve regeneration, particularly over longer nerve gaps. One surgical option that has shown clinical success is the placement of a nerve guide between damaged nerve ends to support and guide regrowing axons, and there is plenty of scope for designing both the structure and chemistry of a guide to optimise nerve regeneration.Complete functional recovery following any nerve injury is very unlikely, even with surgical intervention, and the formation of scar tissue is a major contributor to this. Reducing the infiltration, attachment, and proliferation of fibroblasts in a nerve tube should result in a reduction in scar tissue formation, though it is important that the activities of other cells involved in nerve regeneration are not inhibited. This project therefore aims to investigate methods to control the cell-selectivity of three-dimensional collagen scaffolds for use as nerve guides, primarily through surface functionalisation with the laminin derived IKVAV peptide. Physical methods to reduce fibroblast infiltration will also be studied, such as the production of a collagen sheath to surround a nerve guide.