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

面部和颅骨的畸形(颅颌面，CMF)可由高冲击性创伤、先天性畸形或肿瘤引起，这可能会导致功能障碍和身体毁容。就像破碎的花瓶一样，CMF骨折的骨骼需要对齐和稳定多块碎片才能成功重建。在重建外科手术中，通常使用钢板和螺丝钉，多达一半的病例会出现并发症。研究人员一直致力于开发一种用于颅骨外科重建的复合材料(骨带)。这个概念是一种坚固的管道胶带一样的设备，可以粘在骨头上，用于重新连接骨折块并保持它们稳定，直到它们愈合。这种复合材料的特性提供了一种独特的强度、多功能性和易用性的组合，胶带的灵活性允许包裹和粘合骨骼中复杂的骨骼轮廓。这种复合材料也是由骨折愈合后随着时间的推移最终(且安全地)吸收的材料制成的，只留下修复后的骨骼。在与业界发展这一概念时，临床医生使用了一些商业化的牙骨，这些骨不能降解，可能会产生外科医生希望被吸收和消除的残留颗粒。因此，需要一种具有合适的物理、表面和生物相容性的可降解粘接聚合物的概念，它可以与复合材料界面结合。该项目将最终为这种可降解的有机聚合物胶粘剂奠定基础。我们的临床和科学团队致力于将新型粘合剂和目前的复合材料转化为实践，以改善治疗和结果，减少并发症，改善从严重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.