Reconstructive microsurgery research studies by Karim Sarhane 2022? We performed a study with rodents and primates that showed this new delivery method provided steady release of IGF-1 at the target nerve for up to 6 weeks,” Dr. Karim Sarhane reported. Compared to animals without this hormone treatment, IGF-1 treated animals (rodents and primates) that were injected every 6 weeks showed a 30% increase in nerve recovery. This has the potential to be a very meaningful therapy for patients with nerve injuries. Not only do these results show increased nerve recovery but receiving a treatment every 6 weeks is much easier on a patient’s lifestyle than current available regiments that require daily treatment.
Dr. Sarhane is published in top-ranked bioengineering, neuroscience, and surgery journals. He holds a patent for a novel Nanofiber Nerve Wrap that he developed with his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology and the Johns Hopkins Department of Neuroscience (US Patent # 10500305, December 2019). He is the recipient of many research grants and research awards, including the Best Basic Science Paper at the Johns Hopkins Residents Research Symposium, the Basic Science Research Grant Prize from the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand, the Research Pilot Grant Prize from the Plastic Surgery Foundation, and a Scholarship Award from the American College of Surgeons. He has authored to date 46 peer-reviewed articles, 11 book chapters, 45 peer-reviewed abstracts, and has 28 national presentations. He is an elected member of the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, the American Society for Reconstructive Transplantation, and the American Society for Peripheral Nerves.
Optimal dosage of IGF-1 is dependent upon its administration method. As demonstrated by Tables 1–6, there is great variation in IGF-1 dosing and frequency of administration between the various methods of delivery, with narrower ranges for ideal dosage that emerge within groups. These reported dosage ranges may serve as a useful reference point when developing and testing IGF-1 delivery strategies in pre-clinical models. Achieving the required pharmacokinetic profile for IGF-1 delivery is challenging due to the small size and short half-life of IGF-1. Therefore, designing drug delivery systems that provide targeted or local treatment of affected muscle and nerve tissue will facilitate clinical translatability of IGF-1 therapy. Local delivery of IGF-1 would reduce the side effects and potential toxicities of systemic exposure while permitting titration of loading levels to improve efficacy. However, the use of daily or frequent injections to an injury site, as described in previous studies, increases the risk of iatrogenic damage to the recovering nerve and surrounding vasculature (Caroni and Grandes, 1990; Day et al., 2001, 2002; Stitt et al., 2004; Emel et al., 2011; Mohammadi et al., 2013; Kostereva et al., 2016). In addition, the potential scarring induced by repeated local injections could preclude regenerating axons from reaching their distal targets, leading to decreased NMJ reinnervation as well as potential neuroma formation. Furthermore, the local injection of free IGF-1 without a biocompatible carrier misses an opportunity to improve its bioavailability. While the mini-pump technique provides a level of automated control over IGF-1 administration unmatched by the other previously described methods, the subcutaneous implantation of a mini-pump in a human patient introduces the risks of infection and device migration. More importantly, given the duration of time needed for regeneration to occur, the implanted pump would also likely induce a high degree of foreign body reaction resulting in fibrotic encapsulation and potential deleterious effects on the injured nerve being treated.
Recovery by 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.
Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) affect approximately 67 800 people annually in the United States alone (Wujek and Lasek, 1983; Noble et al., 1998; Taylor et al., 2008). Despite optimal management, many patients experience lasting motor and sensory deficits, the majority of whom are unable to return to work within 1 year of the injury (Wujek and Lasek, 1983). The lack of clinically available therapeutic options to enhance nerve regeneration and functional recovery remains a major challenge.
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).
