Electroactive/conduictive silk-based nanofibre nerve conduits for peripheral nerve repair
Lead Research Organisation:
The University of Manchester
Department Name: Materials
Abstract
Silk nanofibre conduits are attractive for peripheral nerve conduits, with fibre alignment acting as guidance cues for growing neuronal cells (axons). Nascent research indicates that electrically conductive substrates may provide further cues for axon guidance. In this work silk is rendered electrically conductive using graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as well as by blending/coating with the known electrically conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS, an alternative strategy based on coating silk with recombinant protein reflectin (obtained via synthetic biology approaches) is being investigated; reflectin (that drives camouflage in cephalopods) is known to be one of the highest proton conductors in natural materials. Films and nanofibres of these variously conductive materials are being investigated to establish their effect on neuronal cell guidance in passive mode.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Julie Gough (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Adrian Magaz (Student) |
Publications
Magaz A
(2018)
Bioactive Silk-Based Nerve Guidance Conduits for Augmenting Peripheral Nerve Repair.
in Advanced healthcare materials
Magaz A
(2020)
Electroresponsive Silk-Based Biohybrid Composites for Electrochemically Controlled Growth Factor Delivery.
in Pharmaceutics
Magaz A
(2018)
Porous, Aligned, and Biomimetic Fibers of Regenerated Silk Fibroin Produced by Solution Blow Spinning.
in Biomacromolecules
Magaz A
(2020)
Modulation of Neuronal Cell Affinity on PEDOT-PSS Nonwoven Silk Scaffolds for Neural Tissue Engineering.
in ACS biomaterials science & engineering
Magaz A
(2021)
Graphene oxide and electroactive reduced graphene oxide-based composite fibrous scaffolds for engineering excitable nerve tissue.
in Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications
Tandon B
(2018)
Electroactive biomaterials: Vehicles for controlled delivery of therapeutic agents for drug delivery and tissue regeneration.
in Advanced drug delivery reviews
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509565/1 | 30/09/2016 | 29/09/2021 | |||
| 1786315 | Studentship | EP/N509565/1 | 30/09/2016 | 29/09/2020 | Adrian Magaz |
| Description | Development of a family of scaffolds with a range of attractive conductivities for electrically responsive tissues such as nerve. Furthered understanding regarding mechanism of cell response. Collaborations established with research groups in Manchester Insitute of Biotechnology, Lancaster University and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore. Findings of this work presented nationally and internationally. |
| Exploitation Route | The conductive substrates could be used in a wide range of applications other than in the bio/pharma field (i.e. tissue engineering/ regenerative meidcine), such as flexible energy harvest devices or sensors. |
| Sectors | Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | Society: patients with nerve injuries There are an estimated 1 million people suffering from peripheral nerve injury (PNI) every year, of which around 40% cases occur in Europe. The proposed reasearch will enable faster and cheaper discovery of technologies as an alternative to conventional treatments, supporting and guiding the axons during their growth, while avoiding scar tissue infiltration in the gap. Knowledge: tissue engineering and synthetic biology. Bridge between (bio)materials science, synthetic biology and tissue engineering communities. Effective communication between these will foster new collaborations Economy: Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries Special attention to device structure and manufacturing with vital role in the industrialization process. |
| Sector | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Description | Lancaster University |
| Organisation | Lancaster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Research group strengths on stimulatory and degradable systems based on natural and synthetic polymers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Research group expertise in conductive polymers and drug delivery. |
| Impact | Collaboration still on-going. A patent will be filed shortly, and a communication paper will be written and submitted for publication aftewards. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Manchester Instittue of Biotechnology |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise on biomaterials manufacturing |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise on synthetic biology |
| Impact | A research paper will be submitted for publication soon. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Attedance to international conferences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Attendance to present research at several international conferences: - International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies, Singapore. - TERMIS EU Chapter, Greece. - Scandinavian Society for Biomaterials Conference, Finland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2019 |
| Description | Attendance to national conferences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Attedance to present research at national conferences: -A*STAR-UK Partner Universities Conference, UK. - Sheffield Silk Conference, UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |