Plastic Surgery Foundation Receives $100,000 Award From MTF to Boost Dermal Tissue Transplantation Research

Foundations Expand Partnership, Establish New Grant Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2013 

Contact:  LaSandra Cooper or Marie Grimaldi
The Plastic Surgery Foundation
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
P: 847-228-9900
E: media@plasticsurgery.org

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) today announced it has been awarded $100,000 by the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF) to provide research grants to investigators whose projects are aimed at advancing the science of dermal (skin) tissue transplantation. The grants will be administered through The PSF/MTF Dermal Tissue Grant program, a new PSF funding mechanism solely dedicated to this critical area of research in plastic surgery.  This is the second year The PSF and MTF have partnered to provide support for allogeneic (donated) tissue research.

“Our expanded partnership demonstrates The PSF’s and MTF’s commitment to providing high levels of investigator initiated research support to ensure that plastic surgeons have the needed resources to be innovators in advancing the practice of tissue transplantation,” said Kevin Chung, MD, president of The PSF.   “Combining MTF’s mission of providing quality tissues for transplantation, with the strength and integrity of The PSF’s well established research grant programs, has lead to a tremendous partnership that allows us to supply the necessary funding to surgeon scientists conducting significant research in this key area of plastic surgery.” 

Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded to support one-year research projects focused on dermal allografts, transplant science, and the biologic reconstruction of tissues using grafts derived from dermal tissues.  All grants will be administered through The PSF.  Applications can be downloaded at ThePSF.org.  Selected applications will receive funding through The PSF beginning July 1, 2014. 

"MTF is pleased to partner with The Plastic Surgery Foundation to further enhance the resources available to plastic surgeons and advance the science and clinical practice of tissue transplantation," said Bruce Stroever, president of MTF.  "MTF has always considered investigator initiated research to be critical to the advancement of clinically relevant technologies.  We are confident that this new grant program will not only enhance our understanding of the science behind current technologies but also lead to the development of innovative applications."

The PSF/MTF Dermal Tissue Grants are a continuation of support provided by MTF for research into this area.  This year, The PSF awarded three grants, with support totaling approximately $110,000 from the MTF, to researchers studying donated tissues and their use in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.  The 2013 grant recipients are:

• Abigail Maciolek Cochran, MD, Springfield, Ill., for her project titled, “Therapeutic Fat Grafting: Breast Cancer Treatment and Reconstruction.”
• Andrew Gassman, MD, Los Angeles, for his project titled, “Remote Ischemic Pre-Conditioning's Effect on Fat Graft Volume.”
• Dennis Orgill, MD, PhD, Boston, for his project titled, “Pre-Expansion of Recipient Site for Enhanced Fat Graft Survival.”

Donated tissues are used daily by plastic surgeons across the country in quality of life enhancing procedures such as breast reconstruction following mastectomy, abdominal wall repair, and to treat large wounds following trauma or disease.  As the therapeutic applications are limitless, the study of these tissues and their use in transplantation, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine are considered high-priority research areas within the specialty.

About The PSF
The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF), founded in 1948, supports research, international volunteer and visiting professor programs.  The Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of patient care through research and development.  The PSF accomplishes its mission by providing invaluable support to the research of plastic surgery sciences through a variety of grant programs, clinical trial networks, training programs and forums.  The PSF works in concert with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).   You can learn more by visiting The PSF at ThePSF.org.

About MTF
The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (www.mtf.org), the nation’s leading tissue bank, changes lives by connecting donors and transplant recipients.  As a non-profit service organization, MTF is dedicated to providing quality tissue through a commitment to excellence in education, research, recovery and care for recipients, donors and their families.  Since our inception in 1987, MTF has received tissue from more than 90,000 donors and distributed more than 5 million grafts for transplantation, including FlexHD Pliable and FlexHD Structural, acellular dermal matrices that are used in breast reconstruction and abdominal wall repair, respectively.

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