Celebrating 25 years of the Sakiyama-Elbert lab: a look back on the evolution of neural biomaterials and future directions for the field

The field of neural biomaterials has evolved considerably over the past 25 years as new techniques and technologies have been developed for treating the diseases and disorders of both the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. Here we provide a retrospective of the major advances in this field that correspond to the length of Dr Sakiyama-Elbert's independent research program, which has made seminal contributions to this field. As her former trainees, we also then provide insight into how the field of neural biomaterials can evolve to address the major challenges in treating the diseases and disorders of the nervous system through incorporation into new technologies in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This piece provides an important perspective on necessary considerations for clinical and commercial translation to ensure that such novel neural biomaterials are used to their maximum potential.