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.
Use of [18F]FTC-146 PET/MRI in the Evaluation of Nerve Pain
Thomas Wilson
2019
Stanford University
Pilot Research Grant
Peripheral Nerve, Technology Based
Nerve pain can occur secondary to a variety of causes, including peripheral nerve injuries, nerve entrapment, and nerve tumors. At times, the cause of peripheral nerve pain can be difficult to localize. Several studies have implicated involvement of sigma-1 receptors in the generation and perpetuation of chronic pain conditions, and others are investigating anti-sigma-1 receptor drugs for the treatment of chronic pain. Using the sigma-1 receptor (S1R) detector and experimental radiotracer [18F]FTC-146 and a positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) scanner, we may be able to better localize the origin of neuropathic pain. We propose to utilize a population of patients with pain secondary to known cubital tunnel syndrome, a well-known entrapment neuropathy with variable surgical results, to demonstrate the ability of [18F]FTC-146 PET/MRI to localize the entrapment. We plan to then further study pain physiology by comparing preoperative to postoperative [18F]FTC-146 PET/MRI following nerve decompression. We hypothesize that the [18F]FTC-146 PET/MRI signal will improve following nerve decompression and will correlate with postoperative pain scores, since the nerve compression, which is the pain generator, is being eliminated. We will correlate both preoperative and postoperative [18F]FTC-146 PET/MRI standardized uptake values with patient-reported pain, functional, and depression metrics.
Dr. Wilson is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University and the Co-Director of the Center for Peripheral Nerve Surgery. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Wilson obtained his Bachelor’s degree with a major in biology from Creighton University. He then completed his medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, graduating with highest distinction. During medical school, he was awarded the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Training Fellowship and spent one year in the laboratory of Dr. Rakesh Singh. Following medical school, he completed a neurological surgery residency at the University of Michigan. During that time, he was mentored by Dr. Lynda Yang and Dr. John McGillicuddy in peripheral nerve surgery. He then completed a peripheral nerve surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic under the guidance of Dr. Robert Spinner. Dr. Wilson currently has a subspecialty clinical practice in peripheral nerve surgery and is interested in improving preoperative and intraoperative decision-making for patients with peripheral nerve pathologies. He has published over 80 articles in the peer-reviewed literature along with numerous book chapters. He has delivered many local, regional, national, and international talks on topics relating to peripheral nerve surgery. He is a member of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and American Society for Peripheral Nerve.