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.
Nanofiber-Hydrogel Composites for Improved Fat Graft Survival
Principal Investigator
Brian Cho MD
Brian Cho MD
Year
2017
2017
Institution
Johns Hopkins University-School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University-School of Medicine
Funding Mechanism
PSRC/ PSF Research Grant
PSRC/ PSF Research Grant
Focus Area
Fat Grafting, Tissue Engineering
Fat Grafting, Tissue Engineering
Abstract
Restoration of soft tissue defects is a focus for all plastic surgery subspecialties. Autologous fat grafting has emerged as an important tool for soft tissue restoration. Its application has been used in congenital anomalies, breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery. The use of autologous adipose tissue avoids complications associated with implant-based reconstruction which are prone to infection, failure, and fibrotic capsule formation. Unlike autologous free flap transfer, fat grafting benefits from a minimally invasive approach which avoids large incisions and improves post-operative recovery time. Its application however has been limited to the restoration of small soft tissue volumes due to limited graft survival. Significant attention in the plastic surgery literature has focused on fat processing and cell-assisted lipotransfer, however limited studies have investigated the use of adjunctive tissue scaffolds to improve fat graft survival.
To address the current problems with fat grafting, our group has developed a nanofiber-hydrogel composite that will restore soft tissue volume and improve fat graft retention. Our nanofiber-hydrogel composite was developed from non-immunogenic, biocompatible, and FDA-compliant material. Our composite has biomechanical properties that structurally mimics extracellular matrix and has previously been shown to increase stem cell migration and vascularization. We will investigate the use of this novel nanofiber-hydrogel composite as an adjunctive material used in combination with fat grafting to restore soft tissue volume and to promote improved fat graft viability.
The first aim of this project is to optimize a unique nanofiber-hydrogel composite to demonstrate its ability to enhance fat graft survival in vitro. Our second aim will be to assess the ability of our optimized nanofiber-hydrogel composite to induce vascular ingrowth and improve fat graft volume retention in vivo. This nanofiber-hydrogel composite may improve both the reliability and percentage of fat grafting survival. With this improvement, the application of autologous fat grafting procedures may be broadened beyond small tissue defects and applied to all areas of soft tissue reconstruction.
Restoration of soft tissue defects is a focus for all plastic surgery subspecialties. Autologous fat grafting has emerged as an important tool for soft tissue restoration. Its application has been used in congenital anomalies, breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery. The use of autologous adipose tissue avoids complications associated with implant-based reconstruction which are prone to infection, failure, and fibrotic capsule formation. Unlike autologous free flap transfer, fat grafting benefits from a minimally invasive approach which avoids large incisions and improves post-operative recovery time. Its application however has been limited to the restoration of small soft tissue volumes due to limited graft survival. Significant attention in the plastic surgery literature has focused on fat processing and cell-assisted lipotransfer, however limited studies have investigated the use of adjunctive tissue scaffolds to improve fat graft survival.
To address the current problems with fat grafting, our group has developed a nanofiber-hydrogel composite that will restore soft tissue volume and improve fat graft retention. Our nanofiber-hydrogel composite was developed from non-immunogenic, biocompatible, and FDA-compliant material. Our composite has biomechanical properties that structurally mimics extracellular matrix and has previously been shown to increase stem cell migration and vascularization. We will investigate the use of this novel nanofiber-hydrogel composite as an adjunctive material used in combination with fat grafting to restore soft tissue volume and to promote improved fat graft viability.
The first aim of this project is to optimize a unique nanofiber-hydrogel composite to demonstrate its ability to enhance fat graft survival in vitro. Our second aim will be to assess the ability of our optimized nanofiber-hydrogel composite to induce vascular ingrowth and improve fat graft volume retention in vivo. This nanofiber-hydrogel composite may improve both the reliability and percentage of fat grafting survival. With this improvement, the application of autologous fat grafting procedures may be broadened beyond small tissue defects and applied to all areas of soft tissue reconstruction.
Biography
Dr. Cho earned his bachelor’s degree from the UC Riverside; where he worked with Dr. Altshuler investigating the mechanisms behind hummingbird locomotion. He performed animal surgery and hummingbird hovering trials. This experience provided a strong foundation for animal model research. Before medical school, Dr. Cho gained experience in molecular cell biology while working closely with Dr. Sim-Selley in the VCU Cannabinoid lab. He investigated the functional neuroanatomy of G protein-coupled receptors in mice using immunohistochemistry. Dr. Cho obtained his medical degree from VCU and graduated among the top medical students in his class. He received many accolades including the Aesculapian Scholarship, Foundations of Clinical Medicine Award, Pathology Honors Society, Alpha Omega Alpha and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Societies. During medical school, he was mentored by Dr. Rhodes and led several plastic surgery research projects. Dr. Cho is in his 3rd year of plastic surgery residency at Johns Hopkins University. He is pursuing a dedicated research year under the mentorship of Dr. Sacks and Dr. Mao investigating the use of a hydrogel-nanofiber composite for soft tissue regeneration, stem cell delivery, traumatic brain injury, and immunomodulation. Dr. Cho’s broad research background in small animal research and tissue engineering make him an ideal fit for this scientific project. He remains determined and is confident in his ability to contribute to the field of Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Cho earned his bachelor’s degree from the UC Riverside; where he worked with Dr. Altshuler investigating the mechanisms behind hummingbird locomotion. He performed animal surgery and hummingbird hovering trials. This experience provided a strong foundation for animal model research. Before medical school, Dr. Cho gained experience in molecular cell biology while working closely with Dr. Sim-Selley in the VCU Cannabinoid lab. He investigated the functional neuroanatomy of G protein-coupled receptors in mice using immunohistochemistry. Dr. Cho obtained his medical degree from VCU and graduated among the top medical students in his class. He received many accolades including the Aesculapian Scholarship, Foundations of Clinical Medicine Award, Pathology Honors Society, Alpha Omega Alpha and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Societies. During medical school, he was mentored by Dr. Rhodes and led several plastic surgery research projects. Dr. Cho is in his 3rd year of plastic surgery residency at Johns Hopkins University. He is pursuing a dedicated research year under the mentorship of Dr. Sacks and Dr. Mao investigating the use of a hydrogel-nanofiber composite for soft tissue regeneration, stem cell delivery, traumatic brain injury, and immunomodulation. Dr. Cho’s broad research background in small animal research and tissue engineering make him an ideal fit for this scientific project. He remains determined and is confident in his ability to contribute to the field of Plastic Surgery.