Biomaterials and 3D printing techniques for neural tissue regeneration

Abstract

Nerve regeneration involves a series of complex physiological phenomena. Larger peripheral nerve injuries must be surgically treated, typically with autografts harvested from elsewhere in the body. Central nervous injuries and diseases are more complicated, as there are inhibitive factors resulting in less than ideal repair. Currently, many researches in peripheral nerve regeneration are focused on developing alternatives to the autograft, while efforts for treating central nervous injuries and diseases are devoted to creating a permissive microenvironment for neural regeneration and therapeutic delivery. In recent years, neural tissue engineering has emerged as one of the very promising strategies for treating various nervous system injuries and diseases. Particularly, advancement in both biomaterials and 3D biomimetic scaffolds fabrication techniques such as 3D printing has inspired this field into a new era. This book chapter will focus on the two key pillars and discuss their current progress for improving neural regeneration.