Project Details
Projekt
In vivo application of polySia-based materials in a rat model of peripheral nerve regeneration - Impact on morphological and functional regeneration
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Claudia Grothe
Subject Area
Biological and Biomimetic Chemistry
Term
from 2008 to 2012
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5471076
Regeneration of peripheral nerves depends crucially on the length of the gap between transected nerve stumps. To replace autologous nerve grafts, the current clinical golden standard, artificial nerve interponates containing factors that instruct and promote nerve regeneration are needed in the future. To optimally fulfil their functions, these artifical growth supports should provide the information in a spatial and temporal pattern and should be degraded while the autologeous nerve is build. Here we focus on the use of polySia-based materials to build this kind of guides. PolySia naturally involved in nerve regeneration and in the first period shown to drastically enhance sciatic nerve regeneration if exogenously added, will, in the course of this project, be applied in elaborated forms like e.g. nanofibers with specific, diameter, surface texture and instructive decoration. Therefore, neurostimulatory extracellular matrix proteins (e.g. laminin-1) and neurotrophic factors (e.g. FGF-2) will be either covalently bound to or encapsulated in the scaffold materials according to protocols developed in WP2.2 - WP2.5. The success of nerve regeneration will be studied with regard to amount and quality of regenerated nerve fibres, behavioural and electrophysiological recovery, systemic and local immunological status. Finally, identification of transplanted genetically modified cells within the regenerated tissue will be performed.
DFG Programme
Research Units
