Mohammed Elsalanty Awarded Patent: ‘Bone Reconstruction Plate’

Mohammed Elsalanty, MD., Ph.D, assistant research scientist at the HSC-Baylor College of Dentistry, has been awarded a patent for a bone transport reconstruction plate, a device used for reconstructing bone defects in the lower jaw.

These bone defects can be caused by blast injuries, gunshot wounds and tumor removal surgeries. Traditional treatment has involved harvesting a bone segment from the body, such as the hip, and stabilizing it across the defect with metal plates and screws. However, these procedures were lengthy with several complications.

The new bone transport reconstruction plate developed by Dr. Elsalanty helps reconstruct the defect by growing bone from the edges via a mechanism called distraction osteogenesis. It is much easier, and the quality of the new bone resembles those of the jaw bone, making jaw rehabilitation more efficient.

Dr. Elsalanty and Lynne Opperman, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences at HSC-BCD, have received more than $1 million in National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Small Business Technology Transfer Research (NIDCR STTR) funding to build and test prototypes of the device. They also have started a company called Craniotech ACR Devices, L.L.C., to begin the commercialization process.

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