NeuroSpan Bridge to repair damaged peripheral nerves
Official title: The Neurospan Bridge: A Device for Peripheral Nerve Repair
Funded at Auxilium Biotechnologies INC. · NIH-11361743 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is trying an implantable scaffold called NeuroSpan to help people with peripheral nerve injuries regrow nerves and recover function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Auxilium Biotechnologies INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | March 15, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $94,464 |
| NIH project number | 3U44NS128489-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11361743 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with a recent traumatic peripheral nerve gap who are eligible for surgical repair and willing to enroll in an early clinical device study.
✕Less likely to help
People with long-standing, fully healed nerve injuries, generalized neuropathies, or injuries that do not require surgical bridging are unlikely to benefit from this device.
What this research studies
You would receive an implantable, biomimetic scaffold with multiple tiny channels that keeps regenerating nerve fibers lined up so they can reach the correct targets. NeuroSpan has been tested in animal models for gaps up to 3 cm and showed better results than existing devices and nerve autografts in those tests. The project will complete final preclinical safety and performance work, submit an IDE to the FDA, and run a small feasibility clinical study in people. If the feasibility study is successful, the team plans to pursue 510(k) clearance for wider clinical use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, NeuroSpan could let injured nerves regrow more reliably and reduce the need to harvest nerve grafts from your own body.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical animal studies have been promising and showed superiority to autograft in long-gap models, but clinical benefit in humans has not yet been demonstrated.
Where this research is happening
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Auxilium Biotechnologies INC.
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Koffler, Yacov — Auxilium Biotechnologies INC.
- Study coordinator: Koffler, Yacov
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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The NeuroSpan Bridge for Peripheral Nerve Repair
A biomimetic, multi-channel nerve repair device designed to speed and guide nerve healing after injuries.
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A device designed to repair damaged peripheral nerves.
This study is testing a new device called the NeuroSpan Bridge that helps heal nerve injuries by guiding the growth of nerve fibers, and it's designed for people who have suffered from nerve damage.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.