Pain & Central Nervous System Week
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Neurogeneration
Thin polymer film helps regrow nerve cells
March 31st, 2003
Using microscale channels cut in ultra-thin biodegradable polymers, researchers are working to regrow nerve cells. The technique has been proven to work for peripheral nerve regeneration in laboratory rats.
The work is being done by Surya Mallapragada, a chemical engineering professor at Iowa State and an associate in materials chemistry at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory.
When a nerve is severed, the part of the neuron "downstream" of the injury typically dies off. Neurons in humans are several feet long. Grafting, which works well for other tissue such as skin, isn't the best option because of loss of nerve function...
Source: Pain & Central Nervous System Week (2003-03-31)
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