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Dr. Christine Schmidt, a biomedical engineer at The University of Texas at Austin, developed a method for replacing damaged nerves that simplifies surgeries to repair damaged peripheral nerves, which carry signals for motion or touch between the brain and muscles-- and potentially reduces risks. |
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Photo at left: Dr. Christine Schmidt. The test tubes (at left) contain detergents and chemicals for decellularizing nerve tissue. |
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Photo at left: Curt Deister (left), a chemical engineering graduate student who began working under Schmidt’s guidance in 2001, made adjustments to the original detergent solution to process human nerve tissue obtained from tissue banks. Deister also modified the detergent processing steps for use with larger and more complex human nerves. Deister continued refining the human nerve preparation process after joining Axogen as a Product Development manager in 2007. This included combining the detergent approach with technology developed at the University of Florida, Gainesville, to further enhance regrowth of severed nerves. |
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Photo at left: This fluorescence microscope image shows a cross-section of nerve tissue stained for axons (red) and the Schwann cells that make up myelin (green). Schmidt’s goal is to create acellular tissue by removing the cellular components (i.e., the axons and the Schwann cells). |
