Nerve transection requires surgical intervention to restore function. The standard of care involves coaptation when a tension-free repair is achievable, or interposition of a graft or conduit when a gap remains. Despite advances, nerve gap injury is associated with unsatisfactory recovery. This study investigates the use of a decellularized, porcine nerve-derived hydrogel filler (peripheral nerve matrix, PNM) for conduits in an 8 mm rat sciatic nerve gap model. The decellularized tissue maintained multiple nerve-specific matrix components and nerve growth factors. This decellularized tissue was used to formulate hydrogels, which were deployed into conduits for nerve gap repair. Nerve recovery was assessed up to 24 weeks post injury by gait analysis, electrophysiology, and axon counting. Deployment of PNM within conduits was shown to improve electrophysiologic response and axon counts compared with those of empty conduit controls. These results indicate that PNM has potential benefits when used as a filler for conduits in nerve gap injuries.

Renerva, a medical startup that is developing an injectable gel to speed the healing of damaged nerves and creating an off-the-shelf nerve-graft product that may spare patients life-long disability, has joined Cornell’s McGovern Center life sciences business incubator.

NSF and NIH grants will allow Renerva to develop its second product and expand the indication for use of its revolutionary gel for healing injured nerves

Groundbreaking injectable gel helps injured peripheral nerves repair and regenerate

Renerva, LLC, is a rapidly-growing and innovative medical device company with a focus to develop and commercialize implantable technologies to improve the outcome of peripheral nerve repair procedures.