Characterization of a Novel Decellularized Peripheral Nerve Graft

Currently the clinical standard of care for treatment of extensive peripheral nerve damage is the autograft, which consists of a donor nerve from the patient implanted to bridge the site of injury. This technique, although providing a non-immunogenic solution to guide in nerve regeneration, is limited by several constraints including donor site morbidity. To address these concerns, our lab has developed a novel native nerve graft rendered acellular by chemical treatment. In contrast with previous chemical decellularization techniques, our protocol is optimized to produce a non-immunogenic universal tissue implant without sacrificing extracellular matrix integrity. The result, known as the Optimized Acellular (OA) graft, has the capability to provide a universal solution to surgeons, eliminating the need for the secondary surgery associated with the autograft and allowing for a storable and versatile tissue engineering alternative.