The Plastic Surgery Foundation
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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.

Modulation of TGF-B in Scarless Wound Healing Using Decorin and Mannose-6-P

Principal Investigator
Steven Bates MD

Year
2003

Institution
Stanford University

Funding Mechanism
Basic Research Grant

Focus Area
Tissue Engineering

Abstract
Scar formation is the result of uncontrolled wound healing and leads to poor functional recovery after trauma and surgery. In the hand, tendon adhesions formed after flexor tendon injury and repair result in decreased post-operative range of motion and hand function. The costs in terms of disability and inability to return to work: are enormous. The purpose of this proposal is to investigate whether biochemical modulation of transforming growth factor-Beta [TGF-B], a growth factor implicated in scar formation, will decrease adhesions in flexor tendon wound healing. Hypotheses: TGF-B isoforms and TGF-B receptors are differentially expressed in a specific temporal and regional pattern after flexor tendon injury and repair. These expression patterns may be manipulated to modulate flexor tendon wound healing. Natural inhibitors of TGF-B, Decorin and Mannose-6-phosphate, may decrease collagen production in vitro and post-operative adhesions in vivo in models of flexor tendon injury & repair. Quantifiable models of flexor tendon wound healing [in vitro tendon & tendon sheath cultures and in vivo tendon range of motion & tensile strength] can be used to test the anti-scarring candidates Decorin and Mannose-6-phosphate.