BDRC SEMINAR SERIES
Leonor Santos-Ruiz, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red – CIBER
(Spanish Network for Biomedical Research)
13th November 2015, 1pm
June Lloyd Seminar Room (PUW4)
Novel biomaterials for craniofacial bone repair
ABSTRACT
Surgical reconstruction of large bone defects is a frequent clinical need, arising from a wide variety
of conditions, including acute trauma, chronic non-union, tumour resection, correction of congenital
deformities, or bone loss due to diseases like osteonecrosis. Reconstructive surgery is particularly
challenging in the craneomaxillofacial region, due to the complexity of the head and face skeleton,
where aesthetics and functionality are delicately linked. Autogenous grafting has been considered
the gold standard for bone replacement in the craniomaxillofacial region, but its availability is short,
and it can cause donor site morbidity and pain. For this reason, novel bone substitutes are needed
to replace the missing bone. At the Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory (LABRET)
we work with materials scientists to develop novel resorbable, biocompatible materials that can be
used as bone substitutes, but also that can be combined with stem cells and signalling molecules
in order to find tissue engineering approaches to the problem of bone repair. Also, for those cases
where bone loss is too extent and/or bone is diseased, and regeneration is not expected to occur,
we are developing a new type of metal prosthetic implant, in which additive manufacturing
technology and tissue engineering elements are combined to manufacture a custom-made semisynthetic implant.