Recipients

Millions of people suffer from peripheral nerve injuries and osteoarthritis. Various traumas can cause peripheral nerve injuries, which lead to loss of sensation and movement in the affected limb or body region. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive erosion of the joint cartilage. Current conventional treatments for these conditions have varying levels of recovery and the return of function is almost never complete. The Tissue Engineering Research Group is working to develop implantable scaffolds to improve the repair of both nerves and joint cartilage. The team hopes to manufacture scaffolds with living cells and growth factors built right into it. Made from biomaterials, the scaffolds will assist the generation of new tissue while gradually degrading itself. Using culture dishes, and later animal models, the scaffolds will be tested for their ability to promote tissue regeneration.

The team also hopes to develop a synchrotron-based medical imaging technique that could be used to monitor the success of scaffolds in promoting nerve and joint cartilage repair in humans. With the knowledge and technologies this research will generate, it is hoped that future tissue repair applications such as those for the spinal cord and bone will be supported.

< Back to Search Results