[tt] 'Bionic' Nerve To Bring Damaged Limbs And Organs Back To Life

[Hughes, James J.]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071017094047.htm	
	
Source: 	University of Manchester
Date: 	October 17, 2007

'Bionic' Nerve To Bring Damaged Limbs And Organs Back To Life

Science Daily - University of Manchester researchers have transformed
fat tissue stem cells into nerve cells - and now plan to develop an
artificial nerve that will bring damaged limbs and organs back to life.

Giorgio Terenghi is director of the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration.
The team of scientists have transformed fat tissue stem cells into nerve
cells - and now plan to develop an artificial nerve that will bring
damaged limbs and organs back to life. (Credit: Image courtesy of
University of Manchester)

In a study published in October's Experimental Neurology, Dr Paul
Kingham and his team at the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration (UKCTR)
isolated the stem cells from the fat tissue of adult animals and
differentiated them into nerve cells to be used for repair and
regeneration of injured nerves. They are now about to start a trial
extracting stem cells from fat tissue of volunteer adult patients, in
order to compare in the laboratory human and animal stem cells.

Following that, they will develop an artificial nerve constructed from a
biodegradable polymer to transplant the differentiated stem cells. The
biomaterial will be rolled up into a tube-like structure and inserted
between the two ends of the cut nerve so that the regrowing nerve fibre
can go through it from one end to the other.

This 'bionic' nerve could also be used in people who have suffered
trauma injuries to their limbs or organs, cancer patients whose tumour
surgery has affected a nearby nerve trunk and people who have had organ
transplants.

With a clinical trial on the biomaterial about to be completed, the
researchers hope the treatment could be ready for use in four or five
years.

Dr Kingham said: "The differentiated stem cells have great potential for
future clinical use, initially for treatment of patients with traumatic
injuries of nerves in the arms and legs.

"This work will also help to develop a similar surgical approach for
organ transplant, to give full functional recuperation to the
transplanted tissue.

"Furthermore, the technique of artificial nerve grafting could also be
applicable when tumour mass has involved a nearby nerve trunk, which
consequently has to be excised together with the tumour, such as the
removal of a prostate tumour where damage to the nerve leads to male
impotence."

Director of the UKCTR, Professor Giorgio Terenghi said: "This new
research is a very exciting development with many future clinical
applications that will improve the lives of many different types of
patients and therefore many, many people.

"The frequency of nerve injury is one in every 1,000 of the population -
or 50,000 cases in the UK - every year.

"The current repair method - a patient donating their own nerve graft to
span the gap at the injury site - is far from optimal because of the
poor functional outcome, the extra damage and the possibility of forming
scars and tumours at the donor site. Tissue engineering using a
combination of biomaterials and cell-based therapies, while at an early
stage, promises a great improvement on that. Artificial nerve guides
provide mechanical support, protect the re-growing nerve and contain
growth factor and molecules favourable to regeneration. The patient will
not be able to tell that they had ever 'lost' their limb and will be
able carry on exactly as they did before."

He added: "The facilities available at the UKCTR have been developed
jointly by the University of Manchester and the North West Development
Agency, with exactly this aim - to provide the transition from
experimental research to new clinical treatment."

Note: This story has been adapted from material provided by University
of Manchester.