3 D Digital Print Outs To Restore Damaged Nerves

Today's post from the always-reliable, sciencedaily.com (see link below) looks at the potential use of 3-D printed, custom silicone guides implanted with biochemical cues to help nerve regeneration after injury. Now this isn't the replacing of damaged nerves caused by any number of factors that we know of as being neuropathy (maybe later) but it is a major breakthrough with enormous potential. It's also not printing out digital 'plastic 'nerves' that could function as real ones - it's the placing of the right 'stimuli' between damaged nerve ends to encourage them to rejoin naturally. Of course, at the moment, experiments have only taken place on rats and who knows how long it will be before damaged nerves are regenerated in this way in humans but everybody living with neuropathy will be excited at the prospect of having a sort of, 'nerve transplant' in the same way that other organs of the body are currently transplanted. Science fiction? Not any more!

3-D printed guide helps regrow complex nerves after injury 
Date:September 18, 2015 Source:University of Minnesota

Summary:

Scientists have developed a first-of-its-kind, 3-D printed guide that helps regrow both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury. The groundbreaking research has the potential to help more than 200,000 people annually who experience nerve injuries or disease.


This is a 3-D printed nerve regeneration pathway implanted in a rat helped to improve walking in 10 to 12 weeks after implantation.
Credit: University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering

A national team of researchers has developed a first-of-its-kind, 3D-printed guide that helps regrow both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury. The groundbreaking research has the potential to help more than 200,000 people annually who experience nerve injuries or disease.

Collaborators on the project are from the University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Princeton University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Nerve regeneration is a complex process. Because of this complexity, regrowth of nerves after injury or disease is very rare, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nerve damage is often permanent. Advanced 3D printing methods may now be the solution.

In a new study, published today in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, researchers used a combination of 3D imaging and 3D printing techniques to create a custom silicone guide implanted with biochemical cues to help nerve regeneration. The guide's effectiveness was tested in the lab using rats.

To achieve their results, researchers used a 3D scanner to reverse engineer the structure of a rat's sciatic nerve. They then used a specialized, custom-built 3D printer to print a guide for regeneration. Incorporated into the guide were 3D-printed chemical cues to promote both motor and sensory nerve regeneration. The guide was then implanted into the rat by surgically grafting it to the cut ends of the nerve. Within about 10 to 12 weeks, the rat's ability to walk again was improved.

"This represents an important proof of concept of the 3D printing of custom nerve guides for the regeneration of complex nerve injuries," said University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor Michael McAlpine, the study's lead researcher. "Someday we hope that we could have a 3D scanner and printer right at the hospital to create custom nerve guides right on site to restore nerve function."

Scanning and printing takes about an hour, but the body needs several weeks to regrow the nerves. McAlpine said previous studies have shown regrowth of linear nerves, but this is the first time a study has shown the creation of a custom guide for regrowth of a complex nerve like the Y-shaped sciatic nerve that has both sensory and motor branches.

"The exciting next step would be to implant these guides in humans rather than rats," McAlpine said. In cases where a nerve is unavailable for scanning, McAlpine said there could someday be a "library" of scanned nerves from other people or cadavers that hospitals could use to create closely matched 3D-printed guides for patients.

In addition to McAlpine, major contributors to the research team include Blake N. Johnson, Virginia Tech; Xiaofeng Jia, University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University; and Karen Z. Lancaster, Esteban Engel, and Lynn W. Enquist, Princeton University.

This research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, and the Grand Challenges Program at Princeton University.

To read more about the study entitled "3D Printed Anatomical Nerve Regeneration Pathways," visit the Advanced Functional Materials website.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Minnesota. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference: 
 
Blake N. Johnson, Karen Z. Lancaster, Gehua Zhen, Junyun He, Maneesh K. Gupta, Yong Lin Kong, Esteban A. Engel, Kellin D. Krick, Alex Ju, Fanben Meng, Lynn W. Enquist, Xiaofeng Jia, Michael C. McAlpine. 3D Printed Anatomical Nerve Regeneration Pathways. Advanced Functional Materials, 2015; DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201501760

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150918105030.htm

Walkasins May Restore Balance When Walking

Today's post from pr.com (see link below) talks about an interesting development in prosthetics to help improve balance while walking, for people living with neuropathy. As almost all of you with neuropathy problems in the feet will know, balance is a serious issue; leading to unexpected trips and falls and quite often injury. It's immensely frustrating and often alarming to realise that you can't trust or place your feet in the environment in which you move. Numbness, tingling, burning, pain or a combination of all of the above, lead to wrong signals and misplacement and you're constantly watching the ground and your feet to avoid accident. Any technological development such as these Walkasins is therefore extremely interesting. They do initially look a bit 'clunky' and remind you of ankle tracking technology used for criminals but hey...wear long trousers! Reading the article, it seems that the trials were small and the technology is not yet widely available on the market but it's comforting to know that companies are seriously investing in this area and it's been a long time coming.

New Balance Technology Helps Diabetic Man Walk Again
Minneapolis, MN, May 10, 2017 --(PR.com)

 “I put them on, and it was like a miracle,” says neuropathy sufferer and study subject, Mr. Tim Kelley. Walkasins work by restoring sensory signals that are not functioning normally in patients with neuropathy. This immediate restoration of sensory function also impressed Dr. Diane Wrisley of Wingate University. “His brain learned to use the Walkasins immediately," says Wrisley. "He put them on and it was like, ‘Wow! I know where I am in space.’ His improvement is phenomenal.”

 

RxFunction, manufacturer of Walkasins® - the first Wearable Sensory Prosthesis to help improve balance, announced exciting results from an ongoing research study at Wingate University on the long-term benefits of Walkasins use. Walkasins help improve gait and balance in patients who have peripheral neuropathy, a condition that significantly increases the risk of falling due to loss of balance. The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy reports an estimated 40 Million Americans have some form of peripheral neuropathy, most commonly due to diabetes or chemotherapy.

Over 40% of diabetic patients develop neuropathy, which negatively affects quality of life and confidence to walk without falling.

“These exciting results have exceeded our expectations and illustrate how Walkasins can significantly improve the lives of millions of patients who experience gait and balance problems due to peripheral neuropathy,” says Dr. Lars Oddsson, co-inventor of the technology and President of RxFunction. “This is a game-changer that can improve health and quality of life and help decrease healthcare costs,” says Dr. Oddsson.

With neuropathy, “you don’t know where your feet are in space,” says Dr. Diane Wrisley, Principal Investigator of the study and Director of Post-Professional Programs for Wingate University’s Department of Physical Therapy. “It’s like you’re walking with bricks on your legs.”

Tim Kelley, a volunteer participant in the research study at Wingate developed diabetes three years ago. Kelley lost his truck driving license, his career of 31 years, as he became unable to drive due to his peripheral neuropathy. Over the next three years, Mr. Kelley lost confidence in his ability to walk and move safely, gained 30 lbs and even used a wheelchair for getting around. He attended physical therapy in the months leading up to the study but had noticed limited improvements.

Mr. Kelley has shown dramatic changes following his participation in the Walkasins study at Wingate University. “I put them on, and it was like a miracle,” Kelley says. Walkasins work by restoring sensory signals that are not functioning normally in patients with neuropathy. This immediate restoration of sensory function also impressed Dr. Wrisley; “His brain learned to use the Walkasins immediately. He put them on and it was like, ‘Wow! I know where I am in space.’ His improvement is phenomenal,” Wrisley says.

Dr. Wrisley has tracked Mr. Kelley’s improvement in gait and balance using standardized measurement tools, the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) and the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BEST). After a month of daily Walkasins use, these measures have continued to improve even further. “We may be maxing out the FGA and Mini-BEST. He almost has perfect scores in them,” Dr. Wrisley said. What this means for Mr. Kelly is that he has gone from using a wheel chair to get around to now where he can walk 2-3 miles with confidence.

Dr. Wrisley has seen Mr. Kelley’s self-confidence improve immensely with Walkasins use as measured by the Activities Specific Balance Confidence scale (validated clinical outcomes measure). Patients with a confidence score below 67% are predictive to have an 84% chance of falling. Mr. Kelley has changed from 24% to 74% (on a zero to 100% scale).

Another measurement of improvement is Mr. Kelley’s increased walking speed which has improved more than 0.5m/s since using Walkasins. Walking speed is an important indicator of overall health and has been termed “the Sixth Vital Sign”; it’s a simple measure that can predict future health status, physical decline, adverse events and even death. Studies have associated increments of 0.1 m/s of walking speed improvements with improved health status, less physical disability, fewer hospitalization days, and a one-year reduction in medical costs of $1,188.

“We’re thrilled to be able to report these results during Peripheral Neuropathy Awareness Week,” says Dan Leach, CEO of RxFunction. “We’re energized by the exuberance shown by our trial patients and are looking forward to helping millions of people who have peripheral neuropathy with the release of Walkasins later this year.”

Interview with Mr. Kelley (trial patient at Wingate University, NC): youtu.be/MEq-nRnsAVU
Once on the market, Walkasins will be available by prescription following an assessment for neuropathy, clinical need, and physical benefit.

About RxFunction Inc.
RxFunction Inc. is a wearable technology company with an initial focus on developing and leading a new business segment within the U.S. medical grade assistive technology marketplace. The Company’s vision is to improve physical ability for social participation and quality of life. Privately held and headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, RxFunction has taken assignment of patented technology developed by Co-founder, Dr. Lars Oddsson, as a research professor at Boston University’s Neuromuscular Research Center, and funded by Edina, MN Investment Bank, Cedar Point Capital, and the NIH’s National Institute on Aging (SBIR Grant AG040865). Walkasins have not been submitted to the FDA for review, and are not available for sale at this time.

Additional information about RxFunction is available at www.rxfunction.com
Press Contact: Dan Leach, dleach@rxfunction.com

http://www.pr.com/press-release/715825

NEW TECHNIQUE TO RESTORE BODYS INSULIN PRODUCING ABILITY

There is good news for patients suffering from type-one diabetes as they may soon be able to do away with their daily insulin dose to manage their blood-sugar levels.

Researchers have found that a peptide called caerulein can convert existing cells in the pancreas into those cells destroyed in type-one diabetes-insulin-producing beta cells.

“We have found a promising technique for type-one diabetics to restore the body’s ability to produce insulin,” said Fred Levine, a professor at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in the US.

“By introducing caerulein to the pancreas, we were able to generate new beta cells – the cells that produce insulin,” Levine added.

The study first examined how mice in which almost all beta cells were destroyed – similar to humans with type-one diabetes – responded to injections of caerulein.

In those mice, but not in normal mice, they found that caerulein caused existing alpha cells in the pancreas to differentiate into insulin-producing beta cells.

The research team then examined human pancreatic tissue from type-one diabetics, finding 

strong evidence that the same process induced by caerulein also occurred in the pancreases of those individuals.

Caerulein is a peptide originally discovered in the skin of Australian Blue Mountains tree frogs.

It stimulates gastric, biliary, and pancreatic secretions, and has been used in humans as a diagnostic tool in pancreatic diseases.

An estimated over 300 million people worldwide are living with type-one diabetes.

The study appeared in the journal Cell Death and Disease.