Key Highlights

  • Interim 12-month sheep data show nerve regeneration and return of nerve function across a 4 cm gap using the NervAlign Nerve Guide Matrix.
  • Nerve testing detected sensory and motor signals in both the NervAlign and autologous graft groups, with similar results between them.
  • The study included six implants, three NervAlign and three autologous grafts, so formal statistical assessment is not yet possible.
  • Further animals are scheduled for assessment in November 2026.

ReNerve Limited (ASX:RNV), an Australian medical device company focused on peripheral nerve repair, reported on 19 October 2026 interim 12-month results from an ongoing preclinical study of its NervAlign Nerve Guide Matrix (NGM) in a sheep peripheral nerve model.

Study design

The study evaluates a 4 cm section of the NGM implanted in a sheep nerve, compared with an autologous nerve graft control. It includes six implants in total, three NGM and three autologous grafts, and assesses whether the NGM can support regeneration across a 4 cm gap without a donor nerve. ReNerve noted that nerve defects longer than 3 cm are generally regarded as critical and that marketed nerve conduits have shown reliable regeneration only over gaps of up to about 3 cm.

12-month findings

All animals recovered well and were walking freely within hours of surgery. At 12 months, animals treated with the NGM showed gait similar to animals with an autologous graft and to animals that had no nerve intervention. Nerve conduction testing detected both sensory and motor signals in the NGM and autologous graft groups, with similar results. Preliminary tissue analysis found blood vessel and nerve fibre regrowth along the length of the implants and into the nerve beyond the repair site. Because only a small number of animals have been reported, formal statistical assessment is not yet possible.

Inflammation finding

In one NGM animal, a minimal area of inflammation was seen within the implant at 12 months, although axonal regrowth was present throughout that implant. Earlier ReNerve data showed some inflammation at about three months that had cleared by about ten months. The inflammatory cell accumulation in this single implant is so far unexplained, and the company is investigating it as part of ongoing histological analysis.

Next steps

Additional animals are scheduled to be explanted in late November 2026. ReNerve will complete detailed histological analysis, including investigation of the inflammatory finding, and expects to give a further update when data from the additional animals and the full analysis are available. The announcement reports preclinical animal data only and does not include human results.