A handcrafted multi-branch nerve scaffold for in vivo peripheral nerve regeneration

Arm and leg peripheral nerve injuries contribute largely to functional disability. These injuries seldom affect a single-line nerve; rather the injury goes beyond and disrupts the nerve tissue across multiple nerve paths. Here we investigate handcrafted PDMS based multi-branch nerve guidance conduit, which addresses this crucial branching from the sciatic nerve to aid with the regeneration to their appropriate distal targets. The design concept of the developed multiple branch nerve scaffolds is not specific for the sciatic nerve but can be modified for general use of all peripheral nerves and additional applications. Microchannels are also fabricated into a device in order to guide axons to reach the distal ends, which in turn allow regenerating nerves to reach the target muscles. Experiments are performed on Lewis rats to demonstrate the effectiveness of this nerve conduit. Successful nerve regeneration was confirmed from histological analysis of the harvested nerves from all four branches.