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Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Author Spotlight: Innovative Use of nsPEF to Boost Peripheral Nerve Regeneration
Published on: May 3, 2024
Adaptive conductive electrotherapeutic scaffolds for enhanced peripheral nerve regeneration and stimulation
Shriya S Srinivasan1, Lisa Gfrerer2, Paramesh Karandikar3
1Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Society of Fellows, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Background:
While peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) has shown promise in applications ranging from peripheral nerve regeneration to therapeutic organ stimulation, clinical implementation has been impeded by various technological limitations, including surgical placement, lead migration, and atraumatic removal.
Methods:
We describe the design and validation of a platform technology for nerve regeneration and interfacing: adaptive, conductive, and electrotherapeutic scaffolds (ACESs). ACESs are comprised of an alginate/poly-acrylamide interpenetrating network hydrogel optimized for both open surgical and minimally invasive percutaneous approaches.
Findings:
In a rodent model of sciatic nerve repair, ACESs significantly improved motor and sensory recovery (p < 0.05), increased muscle mass (p < 0.05), and increased axonogenesis (p < 0.05). Triggered dissolution of ACESs enabled atraumatic, percutaneous removal of leads at forces significantly lower than controls (p < 0.05). In a porcine model, ultrasound-guided percutaneous placement of leads with an injectable ACES near the femoral and cervical vagus nerves facilitated stimulus conduction at significantly greater lengths than saline controls (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Overall, ACESs facilitated lead placement, stabilization, stimulation, and atraumatic removal, enabling therapeutic PNS as demonstrated in small- and large-animal models.
Funding:
This work was supported by K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics at MIT.
