Stimulation of CNS axonal growth by combining novel silk biomaterial and electric field

Following spinal cord injury, communication between the brain and the body below the injury level is
disrupted due to the damage to the cord. A hostile injury environment prevents the spinal cord
nerve cells to regenerate. To date, no single regenerative strategy has been translated to the clinic.
Novel silk biomaterial and electric field application are two promising strategies that promote rodent
and xenopus nerve cells to regenerate respectively. Here, we hypothesise that a combination of the
two strategies will lead to better regeneration of xenopus nerve cells. The project will inform our
future work with mammalian nerve cells regeneration