Neurology, Addiction and Psychiatry Conference

Towards Nerve Repair and Regeneration: Neural Tissue Engineering

Neural tissue engineering is an emerging discipline that combines the biomaterials, stem cell biology, and bioengineering sciences in designing the environments for repairing and/or regenerating the injured neural tissues. It has the enormous potential to further enhance the recovery of function in damaged regions of the CNS or PNS by injury, disease, or degeneration. Recent research in the new field of neural tissue engineering has been quite promising and points towards a brighter future for further research and treatment of spinal cord injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and nerve damage.

Working of Neural Tissue Engineering:

The strategies of neural tissue engineering seem to focus more on the preparation of biological conditions favorable for the regeneration of nerve cells and repair of neural connections. Most of these approaches are achieved by biomaterials and scaffolds. These are engineered structures mimicking as closely as possible the extracellular matrix of the nervous system. Therefore, the scaffolds provide a substrate to grow the neurons while at the same time inducing axonal regeneration probably the most crucial step in nerve injury and repair.

Stem cells play an important role in neural tissue engineering. The distinctive characteristic of stem cells is their inbuilt potentiality to differentiate into all types of cells, including neurons and glial cells, an important armory for rebuilding functional neural networks. Stem cells can emerge to elicit tissue regeneration and to trigger the development of novel synaptic connections, which can be introduced into damaged regions of the CNS or PNS. This can only be made possible with the advancement in gene editing and biochemical signaling through which researchers are better positioned to direct the stem cells toward the process of repair.

Applications for Neurological Recovery

Neural tissue engineering offers tremendous scope for the repair of neurological disorders due to traumatic spinal cord injuries as well as peripheral nerve injuries. This bioengineered scaffolding can then, in combination with stem cell therapy, bridge the gap within damaged nerves and perhaps repair movement and sensation within those with spinal cord injuries. For peripheral nerve injuries, reconnecting severed nerves through tissue-engineered nerve grafts will reconnect severed nerves and decrease the disability of the associated conditions while restoring quality of life.

Neural tissue engineering would most probably be the technology by which dying or degenerating neurons would be replaced in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and might thus prevent the further advancement of some symptoms or even partially reverse them.

Treating stroke patients: stimulating neuroplasticity post-insult damage of a portion of the brain as the brain remodels itself following injury to compensate for the damaged areas.

All of these achievements on the way toward successful nervous system regeneration, especially in a form of full integration network, which may recover the most complex functions, such as motor or cognitive one, gives grounds to continue research with further improvement in the biocompatibility of scaffolds, techniques for stem cell delivery, and deep insights into molecular cues guiding nerve regeneration.

This neural tissue engineering stands at a watershed in the entire developmental course of regenerative medicine and holds very promising possibilities to be utilized in repairing damaged nervous systems. Hopefully, this area might introduce some form of reversal in the treatment of nerve injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and other neurological conditions to bring improved outcomes in many parts of the world.