Grants Funded
Grant applicants for the 2024 cycle requested a total of nearly $3 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated more than 100 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $650,000 dollars to support more than 20 plastic surgery research proposals.
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.
Contributions of the Immune Response After Nerve Injury to NMJ Reinnervation
Alison Snyder-Warwick MD
2017
Washington University in St.Louis
ASPN/PSF Research Grant
Peripheral Nerve
Peripheral nerve injuries are devastating, resulting in functional loss, deformity, and paralysis. Recovery following nerve injury is often poor. A more comprehensive strategy for management of patients with nerve injury should include knowledge related to nerve regeneration, the target muscle, and the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), which interfaces these structures.
At the NMJ, supporting glial cells called terminal Schwann cells (tSCs) assist with muscle reinnervation and nerve sprouting following injury. In response to injury, tSCs extend long cytoplasmic processes in an attempt to optimize NMJ reinnervation. Recent studies implicate a role for macrophages and angiogenesis in Schwann cell guided axonal regeneration at the site of nerve injury. In this proposal, we utilize multiple mouse models to determine the contributions of macrophages and angiogenesis to tSC guided NMJ reinnervation after nerve injury. The data generated from this proposal will fuel an innovative area of tSC and immunomodulatory investigation that may provide novel translational applications for enhanced management of patients with motor nerve injuries.
Dr. Alison Snyder-Warwick is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Director of the Facial Nerve Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Snyder-Warwick completed medical school, a research fellowship in Developmental Biology, and surgical residency training all at Wash U. She then travelled to Toronto, Canada for specialized training in pediatric plastic surgery and pediatric microsurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Snyder-Warwick’s main clinical focus includes pediatric plastic surgery and reconstruction for facial nerve disorders, treatment of facial clefts, reconstruction of brachial plexus birth injuries, gender-affirming surgery, and pediatric and adult microsurgical procedures. Her clinical interests have led to pioneering basic science research investigations involving the terminal Schwann cell, a unique glial cell present at the nerve-muscle interface.
Dr. Snyder-Warwick is passionate about helping children and adults with facial paralysis, nerve-related injuries, and facial anomalies and is committed to studying novel techniques of optimizing care for people affected by peripheral nerve pathology and facial differences.