Rapidly photo-cross-linkable chitosan hydrogel for peripheral neurosurgeries.

Restoring continuity to severed peripheral nerves is crucial to regeneration and enables functional recovery. However, the two most common agents for coaptation, sutures and fibrin glues, have drawbacks such as inflammation, pathogenesis, and dehiscence. Chitosan-based adhesives are a promising alternative, reported to have good cytocompatibility and favorable immunogenicity.

Biomimetic nerve scaffolds with aligned intraluminal microchannels: a "sweet" approach to tissue engineering.

In this paper, we outline a method for the fabrication of biomimetic hollow fiber and hollow fiber bundles with high aspect ratios. The manufacturing process utilizes a melt spinning technique with caramelized sucrose as a core template. Encapsulation of the sucrose with a thin layer of degradable polymer and selective dissolution of the sucrose core produced tubes and tube aggregates with geometries similar to biologic analogs.