Enhancing facial nerve regeneration with scaffold-free conduits engineered using dental pulp stem cells and their endogenous, aligned extracellular matrix.

This study demonstrates that scaffold-free aligned DPSC conduits supply trophic and guidance cues, key design elements needed to successfully promote and orient axon regeneration. Consequently, these conduits restore function in nerve injuries to similar levels as autograft treatments. These conduits offer a novel bioactive approach to nerve repair capable of improving clinical outcomes and patient quality of life.