Wiberg Group | Peripheral Nerve Research Lab

akira.wiberg@ndorms.ox.ac.uk

Translational research at the intersection of peripheral nerve surgery and laboratory science, working to develop better treatments for those living with nerve compression, nerve injury, and nerve pain.

Peripheral nerve injury remains one of the greatest challenges in surgery. Occurring secondary to trauma or compression, peripheral nerve injuries are common and often have devastating consequences for patients due to loss of function and neuropathic pain. Clinical outcomes following these injuries have not improved in several decades. We want to change this.

We study the molecular, cellular, and genetic mechanisms behind nerve compression injuries in order to uncover biological targets for new, non-surgical treatments. An example is the IGF-1 pathway - a focus of our current work - which is overactive in carpal tunnel syndrome and can be down-regulated by repurposing existing drugs. We also have a growing research theme into the use of electrical stimulation to enhance nerve repair and recovery in different paradigms of nerve injury. We envision that these sorts of treatments will either replace or be used alongside existing surgical treatments to improve outcomes in patients with nerve injuries and chronic nerve pain.

Our work is translational at its core, and we use techniques that span the experimental medicine pipeline, from computational biology and functional genomics, to explant and in vitro human tissue models, all the way through to human studies and clinical trials. We work closely with the Furniss Group, and our group members overlap substantially.

RESEARCH THEMES

Elucidating the pathological mechanisms that underlie CTS and related nerve compression injuries, with a focus on understanding the molecular and cellular changes that take place in the connective tissues that surround the nerve.
Using genetic data to stratify risk of developing compression neuropathies and the risk of needing surgery or developing neuropathic pain.
Developing non-surgical therapies for patients with CTS that target specific cells, genes and molecules.
Using big data to study the epidemiology of nerve compression injuries.
Using electrical stimulation to augment nerve regeneration in people with CTS and other nerve injuries.
Studying the contribution of peripheral nerve compressions to migraine and related chronic headache conditions.
Studying amyloid deposition in CTS as a sentinel for heart failure (transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy), in collaboration with the National Amyloid Centre.