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Silk Biomaterials in Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering

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Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering and Regeneration

Part of the book series: Reference Series in Biomedical Engineering ((TIENRE))

Abstract

Peripheral nerve regeneration represents a major clinical challenge especially if nerve tissue must be replaced to regain function. Repair of critical size nerve defects with development of optimal nerve conduits is the subject of numerous in vitro and in vivo studies. In this regard, natural silk and silk fibroin are widely used materials for tissue engineering of peripheral nerve conduits for implantation. In this chapter, a broad overview of pathophysiological changes and parameters of nerve injuries for repair techniques to achieve nerve regeneration is presented with an emphasis on silk as a biomaterial in tissue engineering. Differences in the variety of silk sources with their individual advantages and disadvantages are discussed with a focus on nerve regeneration. Furthermore, additional components for enhancement of nerve regeneration which must be considered including extracellular matrix proteins, growth factors, peptides sequences, and cellular support to biofunctionalize silk-based nerve conduits are summarized. Finally, clinical translation using experimental in vivo models is presented.

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  1. Flavia Millesi and Tamara Weiss contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Laboratory of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Flavia Millesi, Tamara Weiss & Christine Radtke

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  1. Flavia Millesi
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  2. Tamara Weiss
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  3. Christine Radtke
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Correspondence to Christine Radtke .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmacology, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London Pharmacology, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, UK

    James Phillips

  2. Experimentelle u Klinische Traumatologie, Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für, Wien, Wien, Austria

    David Hercher

  3. Trauma Surgery, AUVA Unfallkrankenhaus Lorenz Böhler, Wien, Wien, Austria

    Thomas Hausner

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Millesi, F., Weiss, T., Radtke, C. (2020). Silk Biomaterials in Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering. In: Phillips, J., Hercher, D., Hausner, T. (eds) Peripheral Nerve Tissue Engineering and Regeneration. Reference Series in Biomedical Engineering(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-06217-0_5-1

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