While maxillofacial, head and neck structures compose approximately 12% of total body surface area, traditionally approximately 16% of battlefield injuries have involved the head and neck, with even higher percentages in the most recent conflicts. The head and neck have very complex anatomy. Battlefield injuries to this region tend to be “devastating and complex,” but are rarely life threatening. Susceptibility to infection is high, particularly when the mucosal lining of the oral cavity is disrupted and the deep structures of the face and neck become contaminated with bacteria-laden saliva. Because of many limitations of auto-, allo- and xenogenic tissues for definitive repair of traumatic battlefield injuries of the head and neck, Luna Innovations Incorporated proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of a stratified tissue engineering construct with well-defined molecular structure and microscale architecture, predictable properties and tailorable behavior. The construct will be biodegradable, antimicrobial, angiogenic, sterilizable, easily adapted to complex three-dimensional shapes and designed to regenerate adjacent, but different tissue types, such as bone and muscle. To minimize regulatory hurdles and manufacturing difficulties, the construct will not contain cells, proteins or vectors, but can easily be incubated with these or similar bioactive agents in the surgical suite immediately prior to implantation.
Keywords: Craniofacial, Maxillofacial, Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, Trauma