Description
The presentation led by Dr. Philipp Leucht, an associate professor at NYU Langone and director of both the Regenerative Medicine Program and orthopedic research, focuses on the role of biologics in orthopedic trauma surgery. He expresses gratitude to colleagues for the opportunity to speak and outlines his credentials while transparently discussing his commercial affiliations with biologics companies.
Dr. Leucht begins by emphasizing the success of natural bone healing, with over 95% of fractures healing without intervention, but discusses how the use of biologics can enhance treatment in cases of complex fractures or non-unions.
The talk covers the fundamental processes of bone regeneration and healing, including intramembranous and endochondral ossification. Dr. Leucht outlines the biological mechanisms involved in these processes, asserting the need for biologic substances to aid in bone repair when natural healing fails.
He identifies three key stages in fracture healing where biologics can play a significant role: recruitment of stem cells, proliferation of stem cells, and differentiation into bone-forming cells. He discusses current biologics used in trauma surgery, specifically BMP-2 and PDGF.
Dr. Leucht critiques BMPs, noting their complexity and mixed results after clinical application, while pointing toward the potential for platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) to facilitate healing in foot and ankle surgery. He also highlights advances in cellular allograft technology and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) for their potential regenerative capabilities.
The presentation suggests a future direction for orthopedic trauma treatment, emphasizing the development of biologics that replicate the properties of autografts while providing a feasible and effective alternative for enhancing bone healing outcomes.