ReNerve: pioneering the repair or replacement of damaged peripheral nerves

Challenge

Current treatment for the repair of damaged nerves whether from disease or injury are far from ideal and producing highly individualised products that repair crushed or severed nerves has proved to be commercially challenging. ReNerve are looking to overcome this obstacle through developing a process to manufacture a range of wraps, cuffs and conduits that match anatomical and dimensional aspects of a range of commonly damaged nerves.

Solution

Through a CSIRO Kick-Start facilitation, ReNerve engaged with researchers from the CSIRO Manufacturing business unit to map critical structures of motor and sensory nerves. The utility and limitations of extraction using CSIRO’s supercritical CO₂ technology for the processing of nerve tissues was outlined, as well as the creation of an algorithm to assist in extensive mapping of nerves, allowing for better understanding of the size and shape variation found in peripheral nerves.

Results

CSIRO was able to assist ReNerve through providing scientific input and assistance in a highly specialised research area. The project refined ReNerve’s understanding of new polymer biomaterials and biocompatible scaffolding most appropriate to support the growth of new nerve cells, the technological benefits and limits of biomaterial preparation, and the development a new nerve-mapping algorithm that gives ReNerve an advantage in the future development of materials.

ReNerve will be undertaking an additional CSIRO Kick-Start project to further develop on the projects’ findings and extend them into a new stream of research and potential product development.

"The outcomes of the project were very beneficial in helping us progress our technologies and have led us to pursue a new engagement with CSIRO to further technology developments that incorporate some of the findings made in this program."

—David Rhodes, Chief Scientific Officer, ReNerve

Find out more and apply

• Program Eligibility and Guidelines PDF (170 KB)
• Program Eligibility and Guidelines - text version TXT (11 KB)
• Expressions of Interest form DOCX (48 KB)

For more information and to apply, get in touch with our CSIRO Kick-Start Program team: