Grants We Funded
Grant applicants for the 2023 cycle requested a total of nearly $4 million dollars. The PSF Study Section Subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated nearly 140 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling over $1 million dollars to support nearly 30 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.
Novel mechanisms for accelerating distraction osteogenesis
Edward Davidson MD
2009
New York University School of Medicine
Pilot Research Grant
Cranio / Maxillofacial / Head and Neck, Tissue Engineering
Despite the success of distraction osteogenesis (DO) in treating craniofacial disease and extremity deformities, distraction protocols are limited by lengthy activation and consolidation phases. (McCarthy et al 1992). The long term objectives of this study are to create clinically useful strategies to improve vascularization at the distraction bony generate in order to accelerate osteogenesis and improve patient outcomes as well as to elucidate the biomolecular mechanisms involved in translation of mechanical stimulus to new bone formation.
Firstly, we will develop 3D flow perfusion multicellular culture as an in vitro tissue model for DO. We aim to show that the BMP-SMAD osteogenesis signalling pathway in de novo osseous tissue is upregulated when osteogenic cells are co-cultured with vasculogenic cells compared with osteogenic cells cultured in isolation. Our second aim is to use fractured murine long bones in 3D flow perfusion explant culture to measure responses of the BMP-SMAD osteogenic pathway to changes in fluid flow. Thirdly, using a rat DO model we aim to show AMD3100, a partial CXCR4 agonist and mobilising agent of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) involved in new blood vessel formation, accelerates bony formation in both the activation and consolidation phases of DO by increasing numbers of circulating progenitor cells, improving vascularisation and maintaining upregulation of the BMP-SMAD osteogenesis signally pathway.
Understanding molecular events leading to osteogenesis during successful DO has important clinical implications since it is a fundamental step towards evolution of targeted therapeutic interventions designed to accelerate osseous regeneration during DO and optimise patient outcomes. Furthermore, it may allow DO to be used in scenarios of impaired bony healing and holds therapeutic potentials for fracture healing treatment especially in those at risk of avascular necrosis. This study also tests AMD3100, a newly FDA-approved drug.
Edward H. Davidson received his medical education at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. He spearheads the New York University Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Laboratories’ division of bone biology research with interests including craniofacial surgery, bone tissue engineering, and the role of lacunocanalicular flow in distraction osteogenesis.