In January, Dr. Darrell Brooks, a plastic surgeon with The Buncke Clinic in San Francisco, commented on a study, just released at that time, in which he was the principal investigator. The study indicated that Avance® Nerve Graft, a product of AxoGen, achieved meaningful recovery in 87% of patients with peripheral nerve injuries. Why is this significant? According to Dr. Brooks:
“It is commonly accepted among surgeons who do peripheral nerve repair that success of surgery depends on the type of injury, length of nerve discontinuity, the patient’s age and the type of nerve. Our study findings show that with processed nerve allograft, patients can have meaningful recovery regardless of these factors. Based on our findings, the information I use to counsel my patients prior to surgery will change — this is a paradigm shift.”
It’s a good example of the potential of AxoGen technologies. The company is an emerging regenerative medicine company focused on the commercialization of proprietary products and technologies for peripheral nerve reconstruction and regeneration. Peripheral nerves are critical nerves that provide pathways for motor as well as sensory signals throughout the body. Damage to peripheral nerves can mean a serious loss of feeling and functionality. AxoGen has developed and licensed patented and patent-pending technologies for improving surgical reconstruction and regeneration of peripheral nerves.
AxoGen believes that Avance Nerve Graft is the first and only commercially available allograft nerve for bridging nerve discontinuities (a gap created when the nerve is severed). Avance Nerve Graft is processed from human peripheral nerve tissue, based on AxoGen’s guiding principal that the human body offers the optimal nerve structure. Like other AxoGen products, Avance Nerve Graft has important advantages:
• Applies to long and short gap nerve injuries
• Decellularized and cleansed extracellular matrix
• Provides a three dimensional scaffold (preserving the inherent and relevant structural characteristics of nerve) for bridging a nerve gap
• Structurally supports the body’s own regeneration process
• No donor nerve surgery, therefore no loss of donor nerve function
• Handles similar to an autograft: flexible and pliable
• Alleviates tension at the repair site
• Three years shelf life (kept frozen at or below -40° C/F)
• Supplied sterile in lengths of 15mm to 70 mm and diameters up to 5mm
The company has a rich pipeline of new products to change the standard of care for patients with peripheral nerve injuries. Other AxoGen products include AxoGuard® Nerve Connector, a coaptation aid allowing for close approximation of severed nerves, and AxoGuard® Nerve Protector, which protects nerves during the body’s healing process after surgery.
For more information, see the company website at www.AxoGenInc.com
Let us hear your thoughts below:
