Grants We Funded
Grant applicants for the 2022 cycle requested a total of over $2.9 million dollars. The PSF Study Section subcommittees of Basic & Translational Research and Clinical Research evaluated 115 grant applications on the following topics:
The PSF awarded research grants totaling almost $550,000 to support 19 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.
A Novel Osteogenic Oxysterol for Cranial Bone rRegeneration
Reza Jarrahy MD
2014
The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles
National Endowment for Plastic Surgery Grant
Tissue Engineering
Craniofacial defects from congenital deformity, trauma, or tumor resection affect hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States annually, representing a significant financial burden. Autologous bone and alloplastic materials are the mainstay of surgical treatment for complex craniofacial
deformities, but these approaches have significant drawbacks. Bone graft substitutes using bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been heralded as potential alternatives to reconstruction. BMP-based products, however, are associated with significant and potentially life-threatening side effects when used in the head and neck, and are exorbitantly priced. By comparison, oxysterols are products of cholesterol oxidation with proven osteoinductive capacity in mouse, rabbit, and human mesenchymal stem cells lines. Oxysterols are favorable alternatives or adjuncts to BMP therapy due to their low side effect profile and cost. As a cooperative of surgeons and scientists, we believe that oxysterols—by limiting the amount of BMP needed in a bone graft substitute paradigm—will advance the field of bone regeneration through cost reduction and improved care without any compromise in outcomes. Our preliminary data shows that Oxy133—a novel oxysterol robustly stimulates osteogenesis in vitro in rabbit MSCs. We propose to test the clinical relevance of this osteogenic activity with a series of in vivo studies. First we will reconstruct criticalsized rabbit calvarial defects by Oxy133-embedded collagen scaffolds. Using the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibitor cyclopamine, we will then examine the role of Hh signaling in Oxy133-induced bone formation. We anticipate that Oxy133 will stimulate bone formation in vivo through activation of Hh pathway signaling. Finally, we anticipate the addition of autologous rabbit BMSCs will further enhance Oxy133-mediated bone regeneration in vivo. Findings from our proposed studies will support a new model for safe, quality, and cost-effective bone regeneration of craniofacial defects.
