As a Surgeon-Scientist, Karim Sarhane, MD, has researched extensively on the most salient medical topics, including the peripheral nervous system to improve the regenerative process. In addition to his roles as a General and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon at the Burjeel Royal Hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Dr. Karim Sarhane has engaged in academia and written papers, such as “Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1: A Promising Therapeutic Target for Peripheral Nerve Injury” published in the June 2021 issue of Frontiers in Bioengineering Biotechnology.

1. Research Points to
Insulin Growth
Factor to Heal PNI

2. As a Surgeon-Scientist,Karim Sarhane, MD, has researched
extensively on the most salient medical topics, including the
peripheral nervous system to improve the regenerative
process. In addition to his roles as a General and Advanced
Laparoscopic Surgeon at the Burjeel Royal Hospital in Abu
Dhabi, UAE, Dr. Karim Sarhane has engaged in academia
and written papers, such as “Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1: A
Promising Therapeutic Target for Peripheral Nerve Injury”
published in the June 2021 issue of Frontiers in
Bioengineering Biotechnology.

3. The paper focuses on using insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)
to treat peripheral nerve injuries (PNI). IGF-1, along with
growth hormone, promotes bone and tissue growth.
PNI injuries impact 67,800 people in the US alone, with victims
experiencing severe sensory and motor loss. Outside of
surgery, researchers believed there were no other
regenerative treatmentsto repair peripheral nerve damage
until now.

4. After reviewing 56 studies, researchers found IGF-1
treatmentsto be an ideal candidate for treating PNI injuries
because of their ability to improve nerve regeneration and
denervated muscles (loss of nerve supply that causes lack of
physiological dysfunction) and to reduce atrophy
(degeneration of muscles and cells tissues).

5. The treatment also has positive
impacts, preventing Schwann
cell (SC) apoptosis or cell
death. SCs are the cells
responsiblefor creating the
myelin sheath around nerve
cells (neuron-axon) and can
foster axonal growth.