Vascudyne Presents In Vivo Nerve Repair Tissue Study Results

Annual Conference held January 12-14, 2024, in Nassau, Bahamas, demonstrating several advantages of bioengineered nerve conduit over commercially available nerve conduits made from porcine small intestine submucosa (SIS).

Led by Abrielle Prunty and colleagues, the study evaluated Vascudyne’s bioengineered acellular tissue as nerve conduits. This engineered tissue has previously shown success in vascular clinical applications, where it regenerated as living blood vessels without triggering immune responses. “Current commercially available conduits pose multiple challenges including fibrosis from host rejection, immune response, and early collapse,” noted the research team. “Our engineered tissue addresses these limitations.”

The researchers tested their innovation using a rat sciatic nerve model, with 24 subjects divided between nerve wrap and critical gap (5mm) applications. The results were compelling:

• 60% of animals treated with the engineered tissue in the critical gap model showed full load-bearing foot recovery by day seven, compared to only 20% in the SIS group
• Explants at 30 and 90 days revealed significantly less scar tissue around the engineered implant compared to SIS
• Histological analysis showed large macrophage clusters (indicating immune response) around SIS implants, while the engineered tissue showed no such response
• Evidence of new nerve formation without scar tissue was observed in the gap model using the engineered tissue

The engineered tissue also demonstrated mechanical properties that exceeded physiological strength requirements and offered excellent suture retention, while handling like native tissue during surgical procedures.

This research suggests that the allogenic acellular engineered tissue, which has already shown promise in vascular applications, may offer significant advantages for peripheral nerve repair by reducing immuVascudyne presented at the American Society for Peripheral Nerve (ASPN) 2024 ne response and scar tissue formation while potentially enhancing nerve regeneration.