Taiwan team unveils promising treatment for peripheral nerve neuropathy
A National Taiwan University (NTU) team has developed a method using a synthetic polypeptide to facilitate peripheral nerve repair and regeneration, which they look to develop for clinical usage in five to 10 years, the team said Tuesday.
The advance in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, a common finding in various diseases such as corneal degeneration and diabetes which still lack effective medications, came after seven years of research, Chen Wei-li (陳偉勵), a team leader, told a press conference held to unveil the research result on Tuesday.
Chen said that the available treatments for visual impairment stemming from damage to cornea nerves caused by viral infection, trigeminal neuropathy, or external causes of injuries require frequent use of expensive eye drops for a long period of time.
Even if one could afford the course of treatment, which could cost as high as NT$1 million (US$33,000) for impaired corneal nerves, the available treatments are ineffective, he said.
In the research, biomimetic scaffolds made of poly (γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) or PBG, a synthetic polypeptide, were shown to be effective in restoring up to 80 percent to 90 percent of corneal nerve function in animal tests, said Chen, an NTU ophthalmologist.
The tests also showed that PBG-made biomimetic scaffolds did not cause inflammation, infections, or vascular proliferation that would irreversibly affect the normal function of corneas during the course of treatment, Chen said. Read More…
