Research group Our research focuses on peripheral nerve injury, the nerve–muscle unit, hand trauma and upper-limb functional recovery. We combine experimental nerve injury models, regenerative medicine, advanced MRI, clinical outcome studies, surface electromyography, biofeedback and rehabilitation technology to understand nerve degeneration, muscle denervation, regeneration and reinnervation, and to identify new opportunities for diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and patient-centred rehabilitation.
The overall aim of our research is to improve understanding, treatment and rehabilitation after peripheral nerve injury and complex injuries of the hand and upper extremity. We study how nerves, skeletal muscle, soft tissues and vascular systems respond to trauma, denervation, surgical reconstruction and rehabilitation, with the goal of improving functional outcome and long-term patient care.
A central concept in our work is the nerve–muscle unit. After a peripheral nerve injury, recovery depends not only on whether the injured nerve can regenerate, but also on whether the denervated target muscle remains receptive to reinnervation. We therefore study both sides of the injury: the injured nerve, the denervated muscle, and the biological environment that connects them.
We combine experimental models of nerve injury, advanced imaging techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging, cell and tissue-based laboratory methods, histology, clinical outcome evaluation, surface electromyography and translational rehabilitation technology. This allows us to study peripheral nerve injury from molecular and tissue-level mechanisms to clinically relevant consequences for patients.
One important research area concerns the regenerative environment after peripheral nerve injury. This work investigates how secretory mechanisms, extracellular vesicles, adipose-derived stem cell secretomes and biomaterial-based approaches may support nerve regeneration and preserve skeletal muscle during the denervation period. We are particularly interested in strategies that can improve the local biological environment for axonal growth, reinnervation and functional recovery.
Another central focus is the use of advanced imaging to monitor nerve and muscle recovery. In experimental models, we use high-field diffusion tensor imaging to follow changes after sciatic nerve injury, including transection, repair, crush injury and sham surgery. This work aims to evaluate whether non-invasive imaging can help distinguish different injury patterns, monitor degeneration and regeneration, and support future diagnostic and prognostic tools for peripheral nerve injury.
A further part of the group’s work concerns clinical rehabilitation after nerve injury and partial limb loss. This includes research on patients with traumatic brachial plexus injuries, obstetric brachial plexus injuries in adulthood, and patients with reinnervated muscles after nerve repair, nerve grafting or nerve transfer. Using surface electromyography, dynamometry, ultrasound and interactive biofeedback interfaces, we study motor control, adaptability, co-contraction and the ability to learn or relearn precise muscle control. The goal is to develop more individualized rehabilitation strategies and assistive technologies, including myoelectric control and home-based training tools.
The group also studies hand trauma, reconstructive surgery and postoperative monitoring. This includes studies of temperature changes, vascular regulation and functional outcomes after nerve blocks, replantation, digit injury and reconstructive procedures. We are interested in how clinical measurements, imaging, physiological monitoring and patient-reported outcomes can help guide treatment decisions and improve recovery after severe hand injuries.
Our work is interdisciplinary and connects clinical hand surgery, experimental neuroscience, regenerative medicine, medical imaging, rehabilitation medicine, engineering, data analysis and emerging digital technologies. The group includes projects ranging from molecular and biomaterial strategies for supporting regeneration, to experimental MRI studies of nerve and muscle recovery, to clinical studies of rehabilitation, biofeedback and motor relearning in patients with upper-limb nerve injuries.
The long-term goal is to improve understanding of peripheral nerve injury and upper extremity trauma, and to contribute to better strategies for diagnosis, surgical treatment, biological support, monitoring, rehabilitation and patient-centred care.
Research Leader
Gustav Andersson
Overview
Participating departments and units at Umeå University:
Department of Medical and Translational Biology
Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Unit for Hand and Plastic Surgery
