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  • Koo, Jahyun; MacEwan, Matthew R; Kang, Seung-Kyun; Won, Sang Min; Stephen, Manu; Gamble, Paul; Xie, Zhaoqian; Yan, Ying; Chen, Yu-Yu; Shin, Jiho; Birenbaum, Nathan; Chung, Sangjin; Kim, Sung Bong; Khalifeh, Jawad; Harburg, Daniel V; Bean, Kelsey; Paskett, Michael; Kim, Jeonghyun; Zohny, Zohny S; Lee, Seung Min; Zhang, Ruoyao; Luo, Kaijing; Ji, Bowen; Banks, Anthony; Lee, Hyuck Mo; Huang, Younggang; Ray, Wilson Z; Rogers, John A

    Nature medicine, 12/2018, Volume: 24, Issue: 12
    Journal Article

    Peripheral nerve injuries represent a significant problem in public health, constituting 2-5% of all trauma cases . For severe nerve injuries, even advanced forms of clinical intervention often lead to incomplete and unsatisfactory motor and/or sensory function . Numerous studies report the potential of pharmacological approaches (for example, growth factors, immunosuppressants) to accelerate and enhance nerve regeneration in rodent models . Unfortunately, few have had a positive impact in clinical practice. Direct intraoperative electrical stimulation of injured nerve tissue proximal to the site of repair has been demonstrated to enhance and accelerate functional recovery , suggesting a novel nonpharmacological, bioelectric form of therapy that could complement existing surgical approaches. A significant limitation of this technique is that existing protocols are constrained to intraoperative use and limited therapeutic benefits . Herein we introduce (i) a platform for wireless, programmable electrical peripheral nerve stimulation, built with a collection of circuit elements and substrates that are entirely bioresorbable and biocompatible, and (ii) the first reported demonstration of enhanced neuroregeneration and functional recovery in rodent models as a result of multiple episodes of electrical stimulation of injured nervous tissue.