Using a small sample of stem cells from a patient's fat, biomedical engineers at Columbia University in New York were able to grow living bone to replace large bone deficits in a patient's head and face, marking the first time bone replication has been able to mimic original anatomical structures, according to a new study published in Science Translational Medicine.
"We've been able to show, in a clinical-size porcine model of jaw repair, that this bone, grown in vitro and then implanted, can seamlessly regenerate a large defect while providing mechanical function," said Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, PhD, director of Columbia's Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering and co-director of the Craniofacial Regeneration Center. "The need is huge, especially for congenital defects, trauma and bone repair after cancer surgery."
Dr. Vunjak-Novakovic and her team constructed the complex facial structure with stem cells from the patient, a scaffold designed using an image-guided personalized approach to facilitate accurate anatomical replication specific to the patient, a native bovine bone matrix and a perfusion bioreactor in which the structure was grown. After culturing for three weeks, the bone was shipped across country in the bioreactor for implantation. Six months later, the engineered grafts were found to have maintained their anatomical structure, integrated with native tissues and generated new bone in the transplant recipient.
The current standard of care for facial reconstructions is to use bone extracted from other areas of the body, which has serious limitations like pain and comorbidities linked to surgical procedures.
Dr. Vunjak-Novakovic added, "Today, tissue engineering is truly changing the way we approach tissue repair, drug testing, disease modeling. In all these diverse areas, we now can put the cells to work for us and make tissues, by providing bioengineered environments that mimic their native milieu."
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