Tiam Mana Saffari

23 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 In part II, the contribution of angiogenesis and stem cells in nerve regeneration will be discussed. In Chapter 8 , the interaction of stem cells and angiogenesis in nerve regeneration will be investigated. Current available literature on stem cell-based therapy applications in peripheral nerve injuries will be presented and its interaction with angiogenesis in peripheral nerve regeneration will be discussed. To understand the role of stem cells in nerve regeneration, the effect of augmentation of nerve allografts with stem cells on functional motor recovery will be investigated in Chapter 9 . Both undifferentiated stem cells and stem cells differentiated into Schwann cell-like cells will be seeded onto nerve allografts to understand their long-term effect on nerve regeneration. How does augmentation of nerve allografts with angiogenesis and stem cells combined affect revascularization? In Chapter 10 , the microvascular architecture of nerve allografts after combined stem cell delivery and angiogenesis in a rat sciatic nerve defect model will be evaluated. Both undifferentiated stem cells and stem cells differentiated into Schwann cell-like cells will be combined with angiogenesis and vascular distributions will be objectively measured. In the general discussion, described in Chapter 11 , we will present the results of this thesis in a broader perspective. The relevance of the results will be explained and the significance of the findings will be described in light of the current literature to discuss how this thesis advances the understanding of a still existing challenge: Could we augment off-the-shelf decellularized nerve allografts to meet outcomes of autografts in segmental nerve defects? Future perspectives and research needed to translate these findings from bench to bedside will also be described. In Chapter 12 , a summary in English and Dutch will be presented.