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.
Bacterial Biofilm Formation on Breast Implants in Reconstruction and BIA-ALCL
Terence Myckatyn MD
2017
The Washington University
National Endowment for Plastic Surgery Grant
Breast (Cosmetic / Reconstructive), Other
The long-term objective of this project is to differentiate virulent from clinically benign bacteria found on breast implants and then develop therapeutics to treat implant failure. We will focus on two clinical situations where bacteria may cause breast implants to fail – breast reconstruction with tissue expanders, and breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). Recent evidence shows that the breast parenchyma has a unique bacterial microbiome whose composition may be impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis. Further, some bacteria implicated in breast implant pathology may be resistant to antibiotic pocket irrigation used to limit bacterial contamination. In AIM 1, we prospectively identify bacterial reservoirs that colonize breast prostheses with or without triple-antibiotic pocket irrigation in staged prosthetic breast reconstruction following therapeutic and prophylactic mastectomies. Women undergoing removal of both breasts, one to treat and the other to prevent cancer, followed by placement of tissue expanders will be evaluated. We will define and compare the constituents of bacterial communities between cancer and non-cancer sides, antibiotic irrigation treated and untreated patients, and between tissue and implant specimens at the time of mastectomy versus breast implant exchange. In AIM 2, we identify potential reservoirs of bacteria colonizing breast implants and capsules in patient with BIA-ALCL. We will use 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize bacterial communities on breast tissue and implants. In addition, we will use infrared scanning to image large surface areas of the breast implant and capsule to minimize the impact of sampling bias, which plagues previous studies. We will also study proteins that coat breast implant surfaces like fibrinogen, fibronectin, and collagen. Previous work shows that these proteins serve as anchors to which several bacterial species adhere to form a bacterial community, or biofilm. Disruption of the binding interaction between these proteins and bacteria with rationally designed molecules, which we have already designed to treat urinary tract infections, could represent the next generation of therapeutics to prevent bacterial pathology on breast implants. Recognizing that hundreds of thousands of breast implants are placed annually, strategies to improve their safety by reducing infection, capsular contracture, or BIA-ALCL would have profound impact.
