Grants Funded
ASPS/PSF leadership is committed to continuing to provide high levels of investigator-initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed research resources to be pioneers and innovators in advancing the practice of medicine.
Research Abstracts
Search The PSF database to have easy access to full-text grant abstracts from past PSF-funded research projects 2003 to present. All abstracts are the work of the Principal Investigators and were retrieved from their PSF grant applications. Several different filters may be applied to locate abstracts specific to a particular focus area or PSF funding mechanism.
Photochemical Tissue Bonding: A Promising New Approach to the Nerve Gap
Principal Investigator
Anne Catherine O'Neill MD
Anne Catherine O'Neill MD
Year
2005
2005
Institution
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Funding Mechanism
Basic Research Grant
Basic Research Grant
Focus Area
Peripheral Nerve
Peripheral Nerve
Abstract
The past 30 years have provided us with a great deal of experimental data on neuroscientific elements of nerve repair. Unfortunately this has not translated into improved clinical outcomes. We are still in search of the ideal method of nerve repair. Photochemical tissue bonding is an exciting new method of tissue adhesion that uses visible laser light to create bonds between tissue surfaces that have been pretreated with a photosensitizing dye. This innovative use of laser technology has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of microsurgery. We believe it will prove particularly useful in the area of nerve repair. It offers a sutureless method of repairing this fragile tissue thus minimizing scarring and foreign body reaction. It can provide an immediate seal with subsequent protection of the regenerating axons within their specific environment. Among the most challenging aspects of peripheral nerve surgery is the bridging of the nerve gap. This project seeks to demonstrate that combining photochemical tissue bonding with autologous tissue conduits can enhance neural regeneration across a nerve gap.
The past 30 years have provided us with a great deal of experimental data on neuroscientific elements of nerve repair. Unfortunately this has not translated into improved clinical outcomes. We are still in search of the ideal method of nerve repair. Photochemical tissue bonding is an exciting new method of tissue adhesion that uses visible laser light to create bonds between tissue surfaces that have been pretreated with a photosensitizing dye. This innovative use of laser technology has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of microsurgery. We believe it will prove particularly useful in the area of nerve repair. It offers a sutureless method of repairing this fragile tissue thus minimizing scarring and foreign body reaction. It can provide an immediate seal with subsequent protection of the regenerating axons within their specific environment. Among the most challenging aspects of peripheral nerve surgery is the bridging of the nerve gap. This project seeks to demonstrate that combining photochemical tissue bonding with autologous tissue conduits can enhance neural regeneration across a nerve gap.