Reconstructive microsurgery research by Karim Sarhane right now? Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a hormone produced by the body that has the potential to be used as a treatment for nerve injuries. IGF-1 may help heal nerve injuries by decreasing inflammation and buildup of damaging products. Additionally, it may speed up nerve healing and reduce the effects of muscle weakness from the injury. However, a safe, effective, and practical way is needed to get IGF-1 to the injured nerve.

During his research time at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Sarhane was involved in developing small and large animal models of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation. He was also instrumental in building The Peripheral Nerve Research Program of the department, which has been very productive since then. In addition, he completed an intensive training degree in the design and conduct of Clinical Trials at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Mini-osmotic pumps provide a sustained, local delivery of exogenous IGF-1 (Table 5; Kanje et al., 1989; Sjoberg and Kanje, 1989; Ishii and Lupien, 1995; Tiangco et al., 2001; Fansa et al., 2002; Apel et al., 2010; Luo et al., 2016). This technique involves subcutaneous implantation of an osmotic pump in the abdomen with extension of a catheter from the pump to the transected nerve site. The positioning of the catheter is maintained by suturing it to local connective tissue. A fixed concentration and quantity of IGF-1 is then loaded into the pump and released at a constant rate (Kanje et al., 1989). Studies using mini-pump delivery of IGF-1 tested a variety of initial concentrations (mean = 143 µg/mL, median = 100 µg/mL, and range: 50 µg/mL – 100 mg/mL), pump rates (mean = 0.425 µL/h, median = 0.25 µL/h, and range: 0.25 – 1.05 µL/h), and release durations (mean = 26 days, median = 7 days, and range: 3 days–12 weeks). The highest dose was reported by Fansa et al. (2002) using a starting concentration of IGF-1 of 100 mg/mL dosed at a continuous pump rate of 0.25 uL/h over 28 days, a value several orders of magnitude higher than any of the other mini pump studies included in Table 5. This concentration discrepancy relative to other mini-pump studies is possibly attributable to the design of this particular study, which set out to investigate the benefits of IGF-1 on a tissue-engineered nerve graft model containing cultured, viable SCs. When the study by Fansa et al. (2002) is excluded, the reported initial optimal concentration for mini pump studies centers on a much more focused range of 0.1–100 µg/mL with a mean of 60 µg/mL and median of 75 µg/mL.

Effects with sustained IGF-1 delivery (Karim Sarhane research) : We hypothesized that a novel nanoparticle (NP) delivery system can provide controlled release of bioactive IGF-1 targeted to denervated muscle and nerve tissue to achieve improved motor recovery through amelioration of denervation-induced muscle atrophy and SC senescence and enhanced axonal regeneration. Biodegradable NPs with encapsulated IGF-1/dextran sulfate polyelectrolyte complexes were formulated using a flash nanoprecipitation method to preserve IGF-1 bioactivity and maximize encapsulation efficiencies.

Research efforts to improve PNI outcomes have primarily focused on isolated processes, including the acceleration of intrinsic axonal outgrowth and maintenance of the distal regenerative environment. In order to maximize functional recovery, a multifaceted therapeutic approach that both limits the damaging effects of denervation atrophy on muscle and SCs and accelerates axonal regeneration is needed. A number of promising potential therapies have been under investigation for PNI. Many such experimental therapies are growth factors including glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and brain-derived neurotrophic growth factor (Fex Svenningsen and Kanje, 1996; Lee et al., 2007; Gordon, 2009). Tacrolimus (FK506), delivered either systemically or locally, has also shown promise in a number of studies (Konofaos and Terzis, 2013; Davis et al., 2019; Tajdaran et al., 2019).

Research efforts to improve PNI outcomes have primarily focused on isolated processes, including the acceleration of intrinsic axonal outgrowth and maintenance of the distal regenerative environment. In order to maximize functional recovery, a multifaceted therapeutic approach that both limits the damaging effects of denervation atrophy on muscle and SCs and accelerates axonal regeneration is needed. A number of promising potential therapies have been under investigation for PNI. Many such experimental therapies are growth factors including glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and brain-derived neurotrophic growth factor (Fex Svenningsen and Kanje, 1996; Lee et al., 2007; Gordon, 2009). Tacrolimus (FK506), delivered either systemically or locally, has also shown promise in a number of studies (Konofaos and Terzis, 2013; Davis et al., 2019; Tajdaran et al., 2019).