Biocompatible implants for nerve re-generation and methods of use thereof

1. A biocompatible nerve conduit for nerve re-generation comprising a porous fiber tube coated with a bioresorbable hydrogel, said fibers comprising a biocompatible polymer that supports nerve regeneration by preferential adsorption of endogenous proteins, wherein said fibers are braided with pores in the range from 5 to 200 micrometers using a kink-resistant braiding pattern and said hydrogel coating material and thickness are selected to control the overall porosity such that nutrients and oxygen can diffuse through said hydrogel coating but the infiltration of fibrous tissue through the coating is prevented, wherein:

said biocompatible polymer has repeating units of the structure:

wherein a and b are independently 0 or an integer between 1 and 6, inclusive; c and d are independently 0 or an integer between 1 and 6, inclusive; each R 1 is independently selected from the group consisting of straight and branched alkyl groups containing up to 18 carbon atoms; each R 2 is independently an alkylene group containing up to 6 carbon atoms; k is between about 20 and about 200; and x ranges between about 0.002 and about 0.20; z ranges between about 0.005 and about 0.01; and x+y+z=1.00.

2. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein a and b are two and one, respectively.

3. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein c and d are two and one, respectively, and R 1 is ethyl.

4. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein R 2 for said polymer is ethylene and k is between about 20 and about 100.

5. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein said porous fiber tube comprises a helically wound biaxial braid.

6. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein said bioresorbable hydrogel comprises cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HA).

7. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 6 , wherein said hyaluronic acid (HA) is cross-linked with PEGDA.

8. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein the biocompatible nerve conduit further comprises a second bioresorbable hydrogel for filling the interior lumen of the biocompatible nerve conduit.

9. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 8 , wherein the second hydrogel comprises collagen with a covalently attached neurite-promoting peptide mimic of the Human Natural Killer-1 (m-HNK-1) glycan.

10. A method for the treatment or repair of a peripheral nerve injury comprising the implantation of the nerve conduit of claim 1 , comprising the steps of:

sectioning the injured nerve's proximal and distal stumps cleanly and perpendicularly so that no damages or scarred tissue remains,

placing the conduit in situ so that about 1 mm of each stump can be fitted into the proximal and distal ends of the conduit respectively, and

securing said nerve stumps to said conduit using conventional micro-neurosurgical techniques.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising further stabilizing said conduit to the surrounding soft-tissue with sutures, or by flooding the repair site with fibrin-like adhesive, or both.

12. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , further comprising a nerve or nerve tissue or nerve cellular component that is inserted into the interior lumen of the biocompatible nerve conduit.

13. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 12 , wherein said cellular component is injected within a hydrogel to fill said lumen, or are injected into a hydrogel-type filler within the lumen.

14. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 12 , wherein said tissue component is laid into the lumen after the conduit is slit longitudinally to provide access.

15. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein the kink-resistant braiding pattern maintains a constant lumen diameter when bent at angles exceeding 125° on a flexible 0.6 mm diameter wire and resume its original shape after release of the bending load.

16. The biocompatible nerve conduit of claim 1 , wherein x ranges between about 0.05 and 0.20.