The U.S. Dept. of Defense awarded a pair of grants worth $1.9 million to AxoGen and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in support of their efforts to develop tools to aid in peripheral nerve surgeries.

Nearly 1 million patients undergo surgical repair for peripheral nerve injuries each year, according to an Axogen statement. The total grants include a $700,000 award to BWH anesthesiology chairman Dr. Charles Vacanti and a $1.2 million grant to BWH plastic surgery transplantation director Dr. Bohdan Pomahac.

Vacanti hopes to leverage AxoGen’s Avance nerve graft to research stem cell therapies to enhance nerve regeneration, and Pomahac will investigate the use of branched peripheral nerve allografts to improve facial reconstruction surgeries.

"As a leader in the surgical repair and regeneration of peripheral nerves, AxoGen is committed to the development of innovative products to serve the needs of surgeons and their patients," AxoGen CEO Karen Zaderej said in prepared remarks. "The Department of Defense recognizes the importance of innovation in this area and we are excited to partner with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to develop additional options for complex nerve reconstructions."