Conductive biomaterials as nerve conduits: Recent advances and future challenges

Abstract Millions of people around the world are in distress due to neurodegenerative disorders. There have been continued attempts to design biomaterial-based therapies for the regeneration of dysfunctional neural tissues, mainly damaged peripheral nerve and spinal cord. The development of nerve guidance channels, where the distal and proximal end of a damaged nerve is sutured to an artificial conduit, has been one main strategy to treat damaged nerves. Different types of biomaterials have been utilized for fabricating the functional nerve conduits with the capability to stimulate the cellular function. Due to their intrinsic electrical properties, conductive materials revealed promising features for promoting regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries. This review article aims to critically summarize the recent advances and challenges toward the development of nerve conduits based on conductive materials and their future clinical applications.