Novel adhesive polymeric membranes for binding degradable composite materials to bone in craniomaxillofacial repair

面部和颅骨畸形（颅颌面，CMF）可由高冲击性创伤，先天性畸形或肿瘤引起，可导致功能残疾和身体毁容。就像破碎的花瓶一样，骨折的CMF骨架需要多块的对齐和稳定才能成功重建。在重建手术中，通常使用钢板和螺钉，并发症发生在所有病例的一半以上。研究人员一直致力于开发一种用于颅骨手术重建的复合材料（骨带）。这个概念是一种像管道胶带一样坚固的装置，可以附着在骨头上，用来重新连接骨折的碎片，并保持稳定，直到它们愈合。这种复合材料的特性提供了强度、多功能性和易用性的独特组合，胶带的灵活性允许包裹和粘接骨骼中复杂的骨骼轮廓。这种复合材料在骨折愈合后的一段时间内最终（且安全地）被重新吸收，只留下修复后的骨头。在工业上发展这一概念时，临床医生使用了一些不可降解的商业牙骨，可能会产生残留的颗粒，外科医生希望这些颗粒被吸收和消除。因此，需要一种具有适当物理、表面和生物相容性的可降解粘合聚合物的概念，这种聚合物可以与复合材料相结合。该项目最终将为这种可降解的有机聚合物粘合剂提供基础。我们的临床和科学团队致力于将新型粘合剂与现有复合材料一起应用于实践，以改善治疗和结果，减少并发症，改善那些从严重CMF损伤和畸形中恢复的患者的生活。

Deformities of the face and skull (craniomaxillofacial, CMF) can result from high impacttrauma, congenital malformations or tumours, which can lead to both functional disabilitiesand physical disfigurement. Much like a shattered vase, the fractured CMF skeleton requiresalignment and stabilization of multiple pieces for successful reconstruction. In reconstructivesurgery, generally using plates and screws, complications occur in up to half of all cases. Theinvestigators have been working on the development of a composite material (Bone Tape)for skull surgical reconstruction. The concept is a strong duct tape like device that canadhere to bone and be used to reattach fractured pieces and hold them stable until they heal.The properties of the composite offer a unique combination of strength, versatility and ease ofuse, with the flexibility of tape allowing wrapping and bonding to the complex bone contoursfound in the skeleton. The composite is also made of materials that will eventually (andsafely) resorb over time after the fracture has healed, leaving only the mended bones behind.In developing this concept with industry, the clinicians used some commercial dental bonecements that are not degradable and may generate residual particulate which the surgeonswould prefer to be resorbed and eliminated. Hence, there is a need for the conception of adegradable adhesive polymer with appropriate physical, surface and biocompatibilityproperties that can interphase with composites. This project will ultimately provide thefoundation for such a degradable organic polymer adhesive. Our clinical and scientific team iscommitted to translating the novel adhesive along with current composites into practice, inorder to improve treatment and outcomes, with less complications and better lives for thoserecovering from serious CMF injuries and deformities.