A method of treating large bone tissue defects in oncological patients with the use of in vivo tissue engineering

The project received funding under the third competition of the National Center for Research and Development in the STRATEGMED  "PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CIVILIZATION DISEASES" STRATEGMED program. The project leader is the Warsaw University of Technology. The consortium includes the Medical University of Warsaw, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Institute of High Pressure Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Świętokrzyskie Oncology Center, TIMELESS Chirurgia Plastyczna sp. Z o.o., Całodobowa Klinika Weterynaryjna "Puławska" with its seat in Warsaw, Medical University of Białystok, MaterialsCare sp. o.o. based in Białystok. The aim of the project is to develop an innovative method of regenerating large bone tissue defects in cancer patients, based on the use of scaffolding and in vivo tissue engineering. In this method, in the first stage after bone tumor removal, a modern element filling the defect (spacer) will be implanted in place of the defect, releasing antibacterial drugs and supporting radio- and / or chemotherapy at the same time. At the same time, a modern and biodegradable scaffold will be implanted in the patient's body ectopic, in the area supporting the formation of new tissue. After the in vivo production of new bone tissue, the spacer will be removed and the prefabricated flap (a tissue engineered product) will be removed and implanted into the jaw defect, ensuring its physiological and aesthetic functionality. Achieving the goal requires the development of a modern spacer, bioactive scaffolding and a method of enriching them with bioactive factors. The developed solutions will be tested, both in vitro and in vivo, on models of small and large animals.