Nanoengineered biomaterial for brain tissue reconstruction and functional repairment

Abstract

Disease-modifying treatments for reversing acute injuries, chronic degenerations and malignancies in the brain are currently lacking. Although symptomatic control may be achieved by pharmacological means, options for brain tissue reconstruction and functional repair remain limited. With advanced knowledge in disease-causing mechanisms, material science, gene therapy, and neural tissue engineering, several exciting and multifaceted nanoengineering approaches have been proposed. These approaches include NM-mediated gene therapy, NM-mediated neural tissue engineering and cell-mediated for local delivery of NM. Here, the background and current treatments for common brain disorders are introduced, followed by a description of clinical trials designed to repair and regenerate the brain. Nanomaterial (NM)-based strategies that have been applied in vivo are discussed in latter parts of this chapter.