Alexander Yaney

Started: June 2015

Scholarship: Barnes Medical Student Research Scholarship

Amount: $3,000

Abstract:

It is estimated that 26% of battlefield injuries in Operation Iraqi Freedom/ Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) are craniomaxillofacial (CMF). The purpose of this study is to attain the best possible means to ensure the reconstruction of these CMF defects. The specific aims of the Craniomaxillofacial Regeneration Study I am working towards are: to develop a two-stage cutting guide, placement guide and slotted fixation chamber necessary to ensure the proper placement of a 3D printed polymer to repair a canine mandibular defect, to determine how to optimize and measure the extent of new bone growth in these implants and to utilize the information obtained in the animal studies to develop a surgical procedure suitable for human clinical trial, thus creating a new methodology for craniofacial reconstruction.