BIOMATERIAL-BASED NERVE WRAPS FOR THE TREATMENT OF NERVE INJURIES

• Grant number: 23/14524-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira
• Grantee: Diego Noé Rodríguez Sánchez
• Supervisor: Ali Khademhosseini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/02727-1 - Biofabrication of nerve guidance conduits, BP.PD

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injuries commonly generate persistent sensory/motor deficits even after surgical repair. Biomaterials for the controlled release of neuroregenerative molecules provide a promising approach for regulating the microenvironment during nerve regeneration. In this study, nerve wraps from a natural-based bioink made of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) combined with Laponite nanoparticles and incorporating fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) will be cross-linked with visible light and manufactured by three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting. Rheological and mechanical properties, degradation and swelling of bioprinted structures will be evaluated. Biological characterization including viability, metabolic activity, and gene expression of neurotrophic factors and pro-myelination in S16 cells (Schwann cells) cultured on the construct will be evaluated. Afterward, printability (e.g., accuracy of bioprinting through control of dimensions), porosity, and ultrastructure of printed materials will be characterized. Biofabrication of nerve wraps using biomimetic biomaterials with controlled release of molecules critical for neuroregeneration could protect and accelerate the nerve regeneration after neurorrhaphy, thereby avoiding perineural fibrosis and improving Schwann cell proliferation and subsequently functional and electrophysiological recovery.