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Dental Branch Shares
$1.4 Million NIH Grant
with
Rice University for Tissue
Engineering Research
Patients undergoing dental surgery today may be in for some unpleasant options, especially when bone regeneration is required.
The options include: additional surgery to harvest the patient's own bone from another area of the body, use of synthetic bone materials that may not heal completely, and implantation of cadaver or animal bone.
But a $1.4 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston and Rice University's Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering has funded the first step toward the creation of a material that will add a safer and more convenient option. As a completely artificial bone substitute, the material can be customized to fit specific anatomical defects, and be chemically treated to augment the healing process.
The grant, co-authored by Mark Wong, D.D.S., chair of the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Dental Branch, and led by principal investigator Tony Mikos, Ph.D., director of the J. W. Cox Lab for Biomedical Engineering at Rice, will be shared by the institutions over the next five years.
Wong said the project's purpose is to create a biodegradable polymer that will stimulate the growth of bone tissue and promote bone formation in large defects of the alveolar, or tooth-bearing, areas of the jaws.
"The tooth socket is an unusual example of bone healing," Wong said. "How many other skeletal defects can be left open, exposed to bacteria and saliva, and still heal? Not many. But sockets almost always do. By recapitulating the specific sequence of events involved in alveolar healing, we hope to be able to promote healing in a very common surgical defect."
In addition such polymers could be used to help people with larger maxillofacial defects, during reconstruction of the upper or lower jaw and face.
Simon Young, D.D.S., who is both a resident at the Dental Branch and graduate student at Rice through a collaborative program between the two institutions, is conducting research on New Zealand white rabbits.
Simon Young, D.D.S., a resident at the UT Dental Branch at Houston and Rice University, hopes to create a polymer that safely and conveniently promotes bone growth in humans.
Photo by Darrell Gonzales
"The best material to assist bone regrowth is still your own bone," Young said. "But many people do not want to undergo the inconvenience of an additional surgery (such as a procedure to remove bone from the hip). Think how convenient it would be if an artificial material regenerated bone as effectively as your own bone.
"And with regards to animal bone, you have to consider the chance of disease transmission. The animals are tested thoroughly, but you never know. No one knew mad cow disease existed twenty years ago," he said.
Another problem with cadaver and animal bone are the intense health regulations and guidelines that require numerous inspections and processing. By the time the bone from cadavers or animals is prepared for surgical implantation, many of the valuable properties have been processed out, Young said.
Young is pleased that the relationship between Mikos and Wong has provided him an opportunity to pursue his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Rice, while obtaining a certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery from the Dental Branch.
"The combination is great. Both universities have a lot to offer," he said. "The important thing is that the program is encouraging research among the residents, which is what moves the profession forward."
By Erika E. Durham, Public Affairs