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Nerve Repair

Newrotex develops innovative silk-based medical
solutions for the nervous system.

The answer to “Can you repair nerves?” shouldn’t come with caveats. This is why Newrotex is set to disrupt existing approaches to surgical nerve repair. We’re on track to provide an alternative to autografts, the current gold standard in treatment for nerve injuries. A gold standard that requires sacrificing a healthy nerve from another part of the body. With our patented silk-based technology, we’ll deliver an off-the-shelf solution for surgical repair of the nerve. Without the need for long, complicated operations or using expensive donor tissues, Newrotex makes immediate treatment possible for patients who have suffered nerve injuries due to trauma, medical conditions, or surgical treatments.

Addressing an Unmet Need
in Nerve Repair

1.5

million

Annual operations for nerve injuries

Newrotex silk-based nerve conduits address the shortcomings of the solutions currently available.

Most of the world’s 1.5 million annual operations for nerve injuries are treated with autografts requiring a second injury and long surgery times, along with risking donor site morbidity and infection.

All of the major current solutions – autografts, allografts, and hollow tube conduits – are limited when repairing large gaps in nerves. Read Current Approaches for more about these and other shortcomings with current solutions for peripheral nerve repair.

Newrotex silk nerve conduits not only shorten procedure times, they are low-cost, simple to use, and effective for long-length nerve repairs.
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Why Silk is a Good Choice
for Nerve Repair

Over the past few decades, the potential biomedical applications of silk have been gaining interest at an exponential rate.

The versatility created by silk’s chemical structure allows for the production of fibres, gels, scaffolds, films, membranes, and powders. Silk has shown to have excellent cell affinity, and being biocompatible, with the ability to tailor biodegradation, silk is an ideal candidate for biomedical applications.

In terms of nerve repair, luminal silk fibres inside the conduit guide regenerating axons, while the bioabsorbable, permeable tube allows nutrients to support nerve regeneration. Furthermore, silk products can be stored at room temperature, thereby removing the need for expensive cold storage and transportation.

Our Solution

The Oxford Nerve Conduit

Our first product is a silk-based peripheral nerve conduit. Filled with luminal silk fibres, the biocompatible tubular device will be available in a range of lengths and diameters.

These luminal silk fibres are also a distinct product on their own, to be integrated into other hollow tubes available on the market.

The fibres have proven nerve-regenerating properties and animal trials show them to be comparable or superior to autografts. And with a porous tubular biocompatible sheath designed to encourage vascularisation, we provide a new and better approach to treating patients with peripheral nerve injuries.

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Long-term Vision

Newrotex is currently working to advance the Oxford Nerve Conduit towards first-in-human trials. We are also developing collaborations in which our silk platform technology may lead to further improvements in patient care, such as Schwann cell delivery and spinal cord injury repair.

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Blog

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July 8, 2025

Newrotex Receives Rapid Regulatory Approval in Panama for First-in-Human Trial of SilkAxons™ Nerve Regeneration Technology

Breakthrough spider silk nerve guide set to transform peripheral nerve repair; clinical trial to launch at The Panama Clinic with bioaccess® as CRO partner Newrotex Limited has received regulatory approval for its first-in-human clinical trial of SilkAxons™, an advanced bioengineered nerve guide designed to repair severe peripheral nerve injuries. The trial will be conducted at The Panama Clinic in Panama City, with bioaccess®, Latin America’s leading First-in-Human contract research organization (CRO), managing regulatory and clinical operations. This approval—secured just two weeks after ethics board submission—marks a critical milestone in the global development of SilkAxons™, positioning Newrotex at the forefront of next-generation nerve regeneration therapies. A Breakthrough for Patients with Severe Nerve Injuries SilkAxons™ represents a paradigm shift in treating peripheral nerve damage. Unlike traditional solutions such as autografting, which involves harvesting healthy nerve tissue and often yields ≤50% recovery rates with significant complication risks, SilkAxons™ uses silk from spiders to bridge nerve gaps of up to 10 centimetres—more than triple the reach of current FDA-approved devices. Preclinical studies have shown that SilkAxons™ supports superior axonal regeneration, offering hope to the estimated 1.5 million patients worldwide who suffer from debilitating nerve injuries each year. “This regulatory approval validates our technology and fast-tracks our mission to transform peripheral nerve repair,” said Dr. Alex Woods, Founder and CEO of Newrotex. “We’re thrilled to partner with bioaccess® and The Panama Clinic to bring this first-in-human study to life and generate critical safety and efficacy data.” Strategic Trial Location and Expert Clinical Partnership With access to diverse patient populations, internationally accredited hospitals, and cost-effective clinical services, Panama is rapidly emerging as a strategic destination for medical innovation. Newrotex selected Panama for its streamlined regulatory processes and clinical excellence. “Panama’s efficient regulatory system and bioaccess®’s proven expertise create an ideal launchpad for transformative technologies like SilkAxons™,” added Dr. Woods. “This collaboration accelerates our global development roadmap, including future submissions to the FDA and EMA.” “Securing this approval in just two weeks after submission is a testament to Panama’s world-class research infrastructure and bioaccess®’s unparalleled expertise in accelerating Medtech innovation,” said Julio G. Martinez-Clark, CEO and co-founder of bioaccess®. “We’re proud to partner with Newrotex to bring this potentially life-changing therapy to patients while demonstrating how Latin America continues to lead in early-stage clinical development.” Addressing a Critical Unmet Need Peripheral nerve injuries are among the most challenging conditions in modern medicine, often resulting in permanent disability, chronic pain, and loss of function. SilkAxons™ aims to eliminate the need for donor nerve tissue and enable immediate, off-the-shelf treatment options. “This trial represents a beacon of hope for patients facing life-altering nerve damage,” concluded Dr Martinez-Clark, “Newrotex’s innovation could redefine standards of care worldwide. Looking Ahead This study will generate foundational data for Newrotex’s global clinical strategy and pave the way for pivotal trials in the U.S., Europe, and beyond. The results are expected to support regulatory filings and ultimately accelerate the pathway to commercial availability of SilkAxons™. “We’re proud to lead the charge in nerve regeneration science,” concluded Dr. Woods. “Our mission is to restore lives—and this trial is just the beginning.”  

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December 5, 2023

Newrotex Founders Dr Alex Woods and Professor Fritz Vollrath were interviewed by Sean Hargrave for Oxford University Innovation in a great piece “Spiders, Surgery and Sustainable Silk” released today.

The article describes some of the incredible uses of silk and the work we’re doing to bring a new standard of treatment for patient’s who have suffered catastrophic nerve injuries. Check out the article on the University of Oxford website here: https://oxford.shorthandstories.com/spiders-surgery-and-sustainable-silk/index.html

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November 7, 2023

Newrotex have been selected for another prize final from the MedTech Innovator 2023 cohort!

The finalists for the “Value Award” are selected by large strategics, entrepreneurs and investors to showcase the companies bringing a great value proposition with their technology. Following the great response from the recent presentation at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) conference, this is further recognition of the value of our silk repair technology and the huge impact it will have on patients lives. Read the full press release here: https://medtechinnovator.org/medtech-innovator-announces-finalists-of-inaugural-2023-mid-stage-competition/. We’re looking forward to the competition at the MedTech Strategist Innovation Summit in San Francisco.

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October 29, 2023

Newrotex wins a prize in Austin, Texas at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) 92nd Annual Plastic Surgery The Meeting!

Newrotex wins a prize in Austin, Texas at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) 92nd Annual Plastic Surgery The Meeting! Newrotex was selected by the ASPS Plastic Surgery Accelerator powered by MedTech Innovator, and featured as one of 5 best-in-class startups: Newrotex Ltd, ImmersiveTouch, Fingy3D, 4th Dimension EMR, Inc and Cellulora. The culmination of the program was a live competition at the plastic surgery annual meeting where the audience voted Fingy3D for Best Overall Winner and Newrotex Ltd for Runner-Up. We were delighted with all the positive feedback from plastic surgeons and strategic companies on our technology and the clear need for patients. We’re looking forward to all of the exciting new collaborative opportunities going forwards.    

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