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.
The Effect of a Supercharge Nerve Transfer on Functional Recovery
Amy Moore MD
2013
Washington University St. Louis
Pilot Research Grant
Hand or Upper Extremity, Peripheral Nerve
The management of incomplete peripheral nerve injuries and the restoration of function in the upper extremity is a challenge. Partial regeneration is expected, but in a delayed fashion with the likelihood of incomplete recovery due to the time of muscle denervation. A 'supercharge' end-to-side (SETS) nerve transfer offers a surgical option for the hand surgeon to enhance function after a partial nerve injury by providing more motor axons and possibly preserving the muscle distally while the injured nerve regenerates. Previously, the SETS nerve transfer has been shown to be effective in augmenting functional recovery, but the timing and mechanism of its effectiveness have not been explored. The goal of the current proposal is to evaluate the impact of timing of the SETS nerve transfer on return of motor function after an incomplete nerve injury. We will also attempt to understand the mechanism by which the SETS nerve transfer enhances function. We will perform numerous outcome measures evaluating the nerve and the muscle after a SETS nerve transfer and incomplete nerve injury are performed in a rat hindlimb model. Outcome measures include nerve histology, histomorphometry, muscle force testing, and muscle type staining. The findings of this study will translate to understanding the mechanism of enhanced function after a SETS nerve transfer, but more importantly it may provide limitations to be considered when performing these transfers clinically.
Amy Moore, MD is currently a plastic surgery resident at Washington University in St. Louis. She obtained her medical degree at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Dr. Moore recently completed two dedicated research years in Dr. Susan Mackinnon’s Peripheral Nerve Research Laboratory where she focused on characterizing transgenic rats that express GFP in their peripheral nerves. She recently won the Snyder Award for best resident paper at the 2009 Plastic Surgery Research Council . She also studied the enhancement of peripheral nerve regeneration through conduits with the addition of growth factors. Upon the completion of her training, Dr. Moore hopes to enter a career in academic medicine.