Grants Funded

Abstract
Degradable orthopedic plates and screws are available, but major clinical limitations exist which include osteolysis, sterile sinus formation, incomplete remodeling of the bone, and improper dynamics between device strength retention and wound healing. Furthermore, these screws are typically only used in pediatric patients due to lower intrinsic strength. We propose the use of degradable silk protein-based orthopedic devices (screws and plates) to overcome these limitations. The hypothesis is that silk-based screws and plates can provide osseous synthesis following fracture repair, fully degrade in a prescribed time frame, and proactively deliver therapeutic local agents to improve rates of integration, reduce infection and promote healing without requiring surgical removal. Based on extensive Preliminary Data, silk polymeric biomaterials provide mechanical properties to match conventional orthopedic fracture repair while also providing sustained release of therapeutic compounds and tunable degradation lifetimes. The outcome of the planned studies will be an entirely new and innovative set of orthopedic devices that provide: (a) a mechanical match to tissues during repair to avoid stress shielding, (b) full degradation over a six month time frame to allow regeneration by native tissue structure and function, (c) degradation to non inflammatory products – amino acids, and (c) release of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and osteogenic factors to improve the rate of bone repair and improve surgical recovery. To address these outcomes, we will pursue three aims, materials optimization (Aim 1), in vitro assessment of function (Aim 2), and in vivo assessment of function (Aim 3). An interdisciplinary team of scientists and clinicians will address the needs. The team has assembled strong preliminary data to support the goals of the study.

Biography
Dr. Samuel J. Lin is a full-time academic staff member and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He holds appointments as an attending Plastic Surgeon at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Lin serves as the BIDMC residency site director of the Combined Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program, and he is co-director of the Harvard Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Fellowship at BIDMC. He then completed a five-year residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery followed by a three-year-residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He currently has a number of basic science collaborations. Dr. Lin has published numerous articles and serves on the review boards of peer reviewed journals including Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open. He is the editor of several medical textbooks including An Aesthetic Atlas of the Head and Neck, Atlas of Body Contouring Procedures, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Pearls of Wisdom.