Clinical applications

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair

Biomimetic scaffolds, gene therapeutics and electroconductive implants for neurotrauma repair and neurological disease.

Overview

About this research

Biomimetic scaffolds, gene therapeutics and electroconductive implants for neurotrauma repair and neurological disease.

People

Research team

Director of TERG · Professor of Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine · Principal Investigator

Fergal O’Brien

Biomaterials · Tissue engineering · Regenerative medicine

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Research Fellow · Principal Investigator, Biomimetic Design Lab

Ian Woods

Electroconductive biomaterials · Gene therapeutics · Neurological disease models

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Principal Investigator

Adrian Dervan

Bioinformatics · Genetic analysis · Gene delivery

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Senior Lecturer · Principal Investigator

Olga Piskareva

Biomaterials · Drug development · Drug resistance

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Outputs

Related publications

2026Biomaterials advancesFeatured

Laminin 1 enhances the angiogenic and neurogenic potential of collagen-based scaffolds for complex wound healing applications.

McGrath M, Palomeque-Chávez JC, O'Connor C, Maughan J, Dervan A, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2026Bioactive materials

Scaffold-mediated miRNA-155 inhibition promotes regenerative macrophage polarisation leading to anti-inflammatory, angiogenic and neurogenic responses for wound healing.

Palomeque Chávez JC, Dobricic M, McGrath M, O'Connor C, McGuire T, Maughan J, Dervan A, Dixon JE, Kearney CJ, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2026Bioactive materials

Development of a PTEN-siRNA activated scaffold to promote axonal regrowth following spinal cord injury.

McGuire TK, Stasiewicz M, O'Connor C, Woods I, Maughan J, Dobricic M, Brunetti G, Dixon JE, Dervan AG, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025Advanced ScienceFeatured

3D-Printing of Electroconductive MXene-Based Micro-Meshes in a Biomimetic Hyaluronic Acid-Based Scaffold Directs and Enhances Electrical Stimulation for Neural Repair Applications

Ian Woods, Dahnan Spurling, S. Sunil, Anne Marie O’Callaghan, Jack Maughan, Javier Gutierrez Gonzalez, Tara K. McGuire, Liam M. Leahy, Adrian Dervan, Valeria Nicolosi and Fergal J. O’Brien

Hydrogels Biofabrication and 3D printing Electroactive biomaterials and stimulation Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair

DOI

2025Advanced Healthcare MaterialsFeatured

Biomimetic Scaffolds Enhance iPSC Astrocyte Progenitor Angiogenic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotrophic Capacity in a Stiffness and Matrix-Dependent Manner for Spinal Cord Repair Applications

Cian O’Connor, Ian Woods, Sarah F. McComish, Sean Kerr, Matthew McGrath, Juan Carlos Palomeque Chávez, Jack Maughan, Tara McGuire, Maeve A. Caldwell, Adrian Dervan and Fergal J. O’Brien

Biomaterial scaffolds Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair

DOI Article

2025Biomaterials science

Development of a VEGF-activated scaffold with enhanced angiogenic and neurogenic properties for chronic wound healing applications.

Palomeque Chávez JC, McGrath M, O'Connor C, Dervan A, Dixon JE, Kearney CJ, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2025Journal of anatomy

Neurotrophic extracellular matrix proteins promote neuronal and iPSC astrocyte progenitor cell- and nano-scale process extension for neural repair applications.

O'Connor C, Mullally RE, McComish SF, O'Sullivan J, Woods I, Schoen I, Garre M, Caldwell MA, Dervan A, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2023Current protocols

The Manufacture and Characterization of Biomimetic, Biomaterial-Based Scaffolds for Studying Physicochemical Interactions of Neural Cells in 3D Environments.

O'Connor C, Woods I, Hibbitts A, Dervan A, O'Brien FJ

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Medical devices and implants Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2022Advanced healthcare materials

Biomimetic Scaffolds for Spinal Cord Applications Exhibit Stiffness-Dependent Immunomodulatory and Neurotrophic Characteristics.

Woods I, O'Connor C, Frugoli L, Kerr S, Gutierrez Gonzalez J, Stasiewicz M, McGuire T, Cavanagh B, Hibbitts A, Dervan A, O'Brien FJ

Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2021Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE

Three-dimensional In Vitro Biomimetic Model of Neuroblastoma using Collagen-based Scaffolds.

Gallagher C, Murphy C, O'Brien FJ, Piskareva O

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2020Frontiers in cell and developmental biology

A Context-Dependent Role for MiR-124-3p on Cell Phenotype, Viability and Chemosensitivity in Neuroblastoma in vitro.

Nolan JC, Salvucci M, Carberry S, Barat A, Segura MF, Fenn J, Prehn JHM, Stallings RL, Piskareva O

Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair

DOI Article

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