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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

Bioengineered Interfaces for Peripheral Nerve Sensory Restoration

  • Sydney Swedick1,2,3
  • Salim El Hadwe1,2,3
  • Kesi Liang4,5
  • George G. Malliaras2,3
  • Damiano G. Barone1,2,4,5,6
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Clinical Neurosciences Cambridge Biomedical Campus University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
  2. 2Electrical Engineering Division Department of Engineering University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
  3. 3Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Department of Engineering University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
  4. 4Department of Neurosurgery Houston Methodist Hospital Houston Texas USA
  5. 5Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Rice University Houston Texas USA
  6. 6Neuroengineering Initiative Rice University Houston Texas USA
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Abstract

Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) severely impair motor and sensory function, diminishing patient independence and quality of life. Despite decades of research, rehabilitation has prioritized motor recovery and residual function over the sensory restoration essential for embodiment, intuitive control, and natural movement. This lack of feedback drives poor prosthetic integration, high cognitive demand, and high abandonment rates. This review organizes the field along the translational pathway from injury to functional recovery: the biology of what is lost, strategies that restore the native substrate, the interfaces required when it cannot be rebuilt, and how these strategies are integrated and embodied. Approaches are compared by biological target, sensory function restored, invasiveness, clinical maturity, and limitation, emphasizing how interface properties such as modulus mismatch, charge injection capacity, and foreign body response govern long‐term stability and naturalness. Proprioception, the hardest and least measurable sensation to restore, is examined in depth, as are biomimetic, neuromorphic, biohybrid, and machine‐learning approaches toward adaptive, closed‐loop communication, weighed against their limits to adoption. The review closes with design principles and the challenges they face, from power and scalability to regulatory and ethical hurdles. The future lies in patient‐centered interfaces that let individuals not only move, but feel again.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{swedick2026bioengineered,
  title = {{Bioengineered Interfaces for Peripheral Nerve Sensory Restoration}},
  author = {Sydney Swedick and Salim El Hadwe and Kesi Liang and George G. Malliaras and Damiano G. Barone},
  journal = {Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.1002/adma.74815},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74815},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Bioengineered Interfaces for Peripheral Nerve Sensory Restoration
AU  - Sydney Swedick
AU  - Salim El Hadwe
AU  - Kesi Liang
AU  - George G. Malliaras
AU  - Damiano G. Barone
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/27
JO  - Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
DO  - 10.1002/adma.74815
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74815
AB  - Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) severely impair motor and sensory function, diminishing patient independence and quality of life. Despite decades of research, rehabilitation has prioritized motor recovery and residual function over the sensory restoration essential for embodiment, intuitive control, and natural movement. This lack of feedback drives poor prosthetic integration, high cognitive demand, and high abandonment rates. This review organizes the field along the translational pathway from injury to functional recovery: the biology of what is lost, strategies that restore the native substrate, the interfaces required when it cannot be rebuilt, and how these strategies are integrated and embodied. Approaches are compared by biological target, sensory function restored, invasiveness, clinical maturity, and limitation, emphasizing how interface properties such as modulus mismatch, charge injection capacity, and foreign body response govern long‐term stability and naturalness. Proprioception, the hardest and least measurable sensation to restore, is examined in depth, as are biomimetic, neuromorphic, biohybrid, and machine‐learning approaches toward adaptive, closed‐loop communication, weighed against their limits to adoption. The review closes with design principles and the challenges they face, from power and scalability to regulatory and ethical hurdles. The future lies in patient‐centered interfaces that let individuals not only move, but feel again.
SN  - 0935-9648
SN  - 1521-4095
ER  -