# Transduction of Mechanical stimuli in myelination and peripheral nerve repair

> **NIH NIH R01** · ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE · 2022 · $34,087

## Abstract

Peripheral nerve injuries are common conditions that can arise from trauma (e.g., compression, severance)
and can lead to neuropathic pain as well as motor and sensory deficits. Although much knowledge exists on
the mechanisms of injury and nerve regeneration, treatments that ensure functional recovery following
peripheral nerve injury are limited. Schwann cells, the supporting glial cells in peripheral nerves, orchestrate
the regenerative response following nerve injury, by converting to a “repair” phenotype. However, nerve
regeneration is often suboptimal in humans as the repair Schwann cells do not sustain their repair phenotype
long enough to support the prolonged regeneration times required for successful nerve regrowth.
 Low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a nondestructive therapeutic approach which facilitate
peripheral nerve regeneration following nerve injury in rodents. Yet, a major gap of knowledge in the current
field is how LIPUS is sensed by peripheral nerves. In this application, the objective of this administrative
supplement is to provide an outstanding training experience for an underrepresented minority Jenica Acheta.
She will aim to determine if the benefit of LIPUS on nerve regeneration is mediated through the repair
Schwann cells. We demonstrated that Schwann cells are exquisitely sensitive to alterations in the elasticity of
the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition, because in other tissues and cell types, LIPUS was shown to
increase ECM components and to activate ECM-bound receptor responses such as the integrin/FAK/PI3K/AKT
pathway, we hypothesize that application of LIPUS modulates repair Schwann cells through the modulation of
ECM stiffness and the integrin β1 signaling pathway. Here, our objectives are: (i) to define the effect of LIPUS
on peripheral nerve ECM composition, stiffness as well as the ECM receptors expression and activation during
regeneration, (ii) to establish that LIPUS promote peripheral nerve repair through modulation of the
ECM/integrin β1 signaling pathway.
 Understanding how LIPUS improves remyelination and peripheral nerve regeneration may
necessary underlying mechanisms that clinical efficacy of LIPUS in neuromuscular
trauma and neurodegenerative diseases. This
reveal
the
Acheta,
providing
will help to ensure the 
administrative supplement will allow the candidate, Jenica
to learn new techniques while also increasing the quality of the deliverables on the parent grant by
a more detailed analysis of mechanobiology during peripheral nerve regeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10571229
- **Project number:** 3R01NS110627-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Yannick Poitelon
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $34,087
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10571229

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10571229, Transduction of Mechanical stimuli in myelination and peripheral nerve repair (3R01NS110627-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10571229. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*