Implants could help nerves regrow

The “nerve guidance conduits” (NGCs) were produced by British and German engineers with a laser technique normally used to “write” complex electrical circuits.

Made from a form of biodegradable plastic, they guide regrowing nerve fibres through individual channels to aid recovery. Once the nerves are fully regrown and reconnected, the device dissolves away.

Bioengineer Professor John Haycock, from the University of Sheffield, said: “When nerves in the arms or legs are injured they have the ability to regrow, unlike in the spinal cord; however, they need assistance to do this.

“We are designing scaffold implants that can bridge an injury site and provide a range of physical and chemical cues for stimulating this regrowth.”

Laboratory tests of the implants have shown that nerves will grow naturally through the channelled structure. The researchers are working towards clinical trials.