Figure 1: Highly aligned bioresorbable fibers to stimulate growth cones.

The goal of this project is to promote guided nerve regeneration by utilizing the contact guidance properties of growth cones at the tips of axons. After a peripheral nerve is severed, a fibrin cable forms and bridges the gap between the two stumps, guiding the regenerating axons to the far stump. When the stumps are too far apart, the fibrin cable cannot form, and axonal regeneration does not occur. Scaffolds using highly aligned, bioresorbable fibers (Figure 1) encourage growth cone recognition and promote axon growth along the nerve axis.