Neural Tissue Engineering: Hybrid Conducting Polymer-Hydrogel Conduits for Axonal Growth and Neural Tissue Engineering (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 6/2012)

Conduit hydrogels have been considered for axonal regeneration in both central and peripheral nervous systems. However, a drawback of hydrogel conduits is their lack of mechanical integrity and strength under physiological conditions. , M. R. Abidian and co-workers report a novel method for preparation of mechanically reinforced agarose nerve conduits that are then made conductive by use of a thin layer of conducting polymer pol(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). The front cover illustrates axon guidance and growth inside a partially coated PEDOT agarose hydrogel conduit.