When Emily was six years old pieces of her skull disintegrated as a result of an infection, possibly related to a previous surgery to move the bones in her mid-face forward. The infection left Emily with large gaps in the front section of her skull. Now Emily wears a bike helmet to protect her skull where there is no bone structure.

Jeffery O. Hollinger, D.D.S., Ph.D., OHSU department of surgery (plastic and reconstructive surgery), and Seyfer have collaborated together for more than 15 years to pioneer the use and development of BMP. Hollinger and his team have received three National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than 5 million dollars to study BMP and other tissue-engineered treatments, with additional funding provided by Genetics Institutes, a company that produces and owns the patents for genetically engineered BMP.

Hollinger has pioneered tissue-engineering strategies that involve recombinant technology and polymer matrixes to regenerate bone deficiencies from developmental deformity, traumatic loss and resective procedures.

Physicians hope to use BMPs to restore shattered bones, osteoporotic fractures and cartilage degeneration. Currently, banked bones from cadavers, medical ceramics and artificial materials are used to replace missing or disfigured bones.

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Contact: Christine Long
longc@ohsu.edu
503-494-8231
Oregon Health & Science University
26-Aug-1999