News

Nerve Injury Community Day 2023

The UCL Centre for Nerve Engineering was pleased to host another Nerve Injury Community Day on 18th November 2023. This was an event for those living with nerve injury, and their loved ones, to meet each other and participate in discussions with healthcare professionals and researchers in the field.

The event was planned and organised by a co-production team which included researchers, clinicians and people living with nerve injuries. The day was attended by people from across the UK and involved interactive workshops, stalls and a Q&A panel discussion, all designed to provide opportunities for those affected by nerve injury to share experiences and find out more about nerve injury research and treatment.

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 Release

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, therapeutic options and clinical aspects.

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 and handling properties to natural nerve.

This study will help underpin progression of the technology through the required manufacture and regulatory steps to testing in human patients. Translation of EngNT to clinical application is being undertaken with our UCL spinout company Glialign Ltd.