# Accelerating nerve regeneration with botulinum toxin and electrical stimulation therapies

> **NIH NIH R03** · REHABILITATION INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO D/B/A SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITYLAB · 2021 · $177,066

## Abstract

Project Summary
Peripheral nerve injuries are an under-appreciated public health problem. There are about
200,000 new cases per year in the USA. Recovery is incomplete for the vast majority of patients
who suffer from one because nerve regrowth is slow and inefficient. Unfortunately, there are no
approved treatments to improve the process of nerve regeneration. We have identified two
complimentary therapies in order to target the (i) early and (ii) late phases of the nerve
regeneration process. They each may work as stand-alone therapy or potentially in
combination, as we predict they will have an additive benefit on nerve repair. The present
proposal will set the stage for a follow up clinical trial to bring the most promising therapy to
patients. We believe we can make rapid progress towards this goal because one therapy
represents a repurposing of an already FDA-approved drug, and the other therapy is a form of
electrical stimulation that already has shown efficacy in small clinical trials for nerve injury. The
electrical stimulation therapy is in need of a new mode of delivery to remove barriers to clinical
implementation, which we offer by means of novel transient bio-electric implant system. Overall,
this proposal will deliver a new horizon in how we can improve the treatment of patients with
peripheral nerve injuries to maximize their functional recovery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10135331
- **Project number:** 1R03HD101090-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** REHABILITATION INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO D/B/A SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITYLAB
- **Principal Investigator:** Colin Franz
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $177,066
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-05 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10135331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10135331, Accelerating nerve regeneration with botulinum toxin and electrical stimulation therapies (1R03HD101090-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10135331. Licensed CC0.

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