New compound accelerates nerve regeneration

Research led by UCL, in partnership with the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB) and AstraZeneca, has identified a new compound that can stimulate nerve regeneration after injury. The study identified a chemical compound that activates the PI3K signalling pathway, accelerating the natural regeneration that can occur in peripheral nerves after damage. UCL Press […]

New book! Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering and Regeneration

The complete first edition of this living reference work is now available online and in print, providing a comprehensive overview of key concepts and technologies for current and future nerve repair. Individual chapters are available to download and include topics such as the history of nerve repair, the nerve repair environment, models and evaluation, biomaterials, […]

EngNT demonstrates equivalent performance to autograft in preclinical nerve repair

Important new study provides compelling preclinical evidence to support the effectiveness of Engineered Neural Tissue (EngNT) as a replacement for the nerve autograft. Functional regeneration assessed through histological and electrophysiological outcome measures demonstrated equivalent performance. Furthermore, the living replacement nerve tissue was implanted within a collagen membrane wrap, providing an artificial tissue with similar mechanical […]

New paper characterising human nerve degeneration

This study reveals new information about the cellular and molecular features of human nerves following injury. Published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications (Open Access), this collaborative work analysed nerve tissue from patients undergoing repair surgery. Since the patients had surgery at various different times after the original injury, it was possible to build up an understanding […]

Cordwainers Prize Awarded for Best MBPhD Thesis

Congratulations to Richard Bartlett for being awarded the prestigious Cordwainers Prize for his PhD thesis Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to repair the spinal cord. The prize is awarded for the best PhD thesis presented by an MBPhD student each year.

Nerve repair project awarded prestigious UCL Rosetrees Stoneygate Prize

We are delighted to announce our team was awarded the 2018 UCL Rosetrees Stoneygate Prize for research into improving nerve grafting using biomaterials. This cross-faculty research team led by James Phillips includes Rebecca Shipley, (UCL Mechanical Engineering, UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering), Ashleigh Boyd (UCL Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, UCL Institute of Immunity […]

Naked Scientists Podcast

Listen to James and Becky talking about nerve injury and repair in this Naked Scientists Podcast.

New Publication: ‘Off the shelf’ living replacement nerve tissue

This paper reports a study in which engineered neural tissue (EngNT) was made using ReNeuron‘s clinical grade stem cells and tested in a nerve injury model using athymic nude rats. This approach offers the possibility of developing an Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) using allogeneic cells which could potentially be suitable for implantation into patients […]

PhD Studentship in Nerve Tissue Engineering

A PhD studentship is available entitled “Combining Therapeutic Cells and Biomaterials to Develop Engineered Tissue for Repairing Peripheral Nerves”. For more details visit the UCL studentship page.

International collaborations generate new EngNT papers

In 2017 we were involved in studies demonstrating further development of Engineered Neural Tissue (EngNT) technology. These included in vivo testing of EngNT made using differentiated dental pulp stem cells in collaboration with colleagues in Hasselt University in Belgium, and two papers exploring the use of different ECM materials and mesenchymal stem cells and Schwann cells in […]