The nervous system is the main control center for your body. It makes your muscles move, helps you feel sensation and monitors your organs. Your nervous system runs on signals transmitted between the peripheral  nerves of the peripheral nervous system and the brain and spinal cord of  the central nervous system. Peripheral nerves are thin threads of axons grouped together in bundles (fascicles) and wrapped in connective tissue (epineurium). These nerves provide the pathways for both motor and sensory signals throughout the body. Outside the body, heat, cold, touch, sound vibrations, and other sensory stimuli trigger electrical signals that travel through the neurons of the peripheral nervous system to the brain. The brain also sends electrical signals through the peripheral nerves to the muscles and organs to signal them to function.

Damaged peripheral nerves can be surgically repaired, however the window of time for the best surgical outcome can be limited, so expertise from a nerve specialist should be sought quickly. There are many potential causes of nerve damage. Every day, people suffer traumatic injuries (auto accidents, power tool mishaps, household accidents, etc.) or undergo surgical procedures that inadvertently impact the function of their peripheral nerves.

Axogen’s flagship product is Avance® Nerve Graft, a biologically active off-the-shelf processed human nerve allograft for bridging severed peripheral nerves. Peripheral nerves have the ability to regenerate and heal themselves, and Avance Nerve Graft acts as a scaffold to guide the regenerating nerve fibers as they grow. Avance Nerve Graft can be used to help repair nerve damage anywhere in the body but is most often used to treat traumatic injuries in the hand and upper extremities.

Peripheral nerves are like wires: if cut, data cannot be transferred from and to the brain, and if crushed,  short circuits and data corruption may occur. Physical damage to a peripheral nerve, or the inability to properly reconnect a peripheral nerve, can result in the loss of muscle or organ function, the loss of sensory feeling, or the initiation of pain. For example, a nerve that is cut in the arm as the result of trauma may make it impossible for a patient to feel or use the arm. Nerve damage to the face, lip, and mouth as the result of nerve injury during dental procedures may make it impossible for a patient to feel, smile, talk, or eat normally.

When breast tissue is removed during a mastectomy, the nerves that provide feeling to the breast are severed and the nerve signals are disrupted, often resulting in numbness and loss of feeling in the breast area. Avance Nerve Graft can be used to help repair the severed nerves in all of these situations. At Axogen, our mission to improve patient outcomes has been at the core of our business since the Company’s founding, and today fuels our innovative technologies, physician education initiatives, clinical research, and patient awareness campaigns. Axogen is committed to continuing to innovate and explore surgical solutions for peripheral nerve repair and regeneration where we believe we can make a meaningful difference for millions of people who suffer the effects of peripheral nerve damage.