Patient-specific bioactive, antimicrobial PLA-PGA/titanium implants for large jawbone defects after tumour resection - jawIMPLANT

Project summary

Surgical excision of maxillofacial (jaw) tumours generally leads for annually ~5500 patients in EU28 to scarred, mangled facial appearance and the loss of mastication and speaking functions. Current gold standard for reconstruction of the large bone defects is transplantation of autologous vascularized bone, being still strongly constrictive by limited transplantable bone, low surgical accuracy and risk of tissue necrosis in subsequent high-dose anti-cancer chemo-/radiotherapy. Consequently, our focus is an alternative treatment, separating immediate reconstruction after tumour resection for such high-dose anti-cancer therapy (ongoing R&D), and final reconstruction by patient-specific manufactured maxillofacial implants (R&D target of this project). Planned unique implant features are a durable metal core for tooth crowns and jaw-joint fixation and an anti-bacterial coated biodegradable polymer shell, being replaced by new bone due to local drug-delivery within ~12 months.