MTF Biologics Awards Over $1 Million in 2020 Extramural Research Grants and Announces Timeline for 2021 Applications

MTF Biologics, a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by advancing tissue and organ donation, transplantation and research, has awarded over $1 million in funding to 11 researchers across the nation through its 2020 Extramural Research Grants Program.

"For more than 30 years, our grants program has funded groundbreaking research. In spite of the global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased that MTF Biologics is able to continue to give back to the scientific community to positively affect lives across the globe," said Joe Yaccarino, President and CEO of MTF Biologics. "We congratulate all of this year's recipients and look forward to the results of their important work."

"Through our continued support of translational and clinical research, we hope to accelerate innovation that will lead to increased options for clinicians, thus improving patient outcomes and quality of life," said Marc Long, PhD, EVP, Research & Development of MTF Biologics. "We are especially pleased this year that we are able to award a substantial number of junior investigators grants supporting early-stage researchers with the hope this sets them up for future success."

"We continue to be impressed with the quality and breadth of grant proposals we annually receive," said Jeffrey Cartmell, PhD, Director, Intellectual Property & Grants at MTF Biologics. "In particular we recognize Dr. Michael Albro (Boston University) who was selected as the Dr. James R. Neff awardee for the best overall application, and Dr. Maria Siemionow (University of Illinois at Chicago) who was selected to receive the inaugural Dr. Hans Burchardt Award for the awarded grant with the highest potential clinical impact."

The full list of recipients selected for 2020 MT Biologics Research Grant awards are:

MTF BIOLOGICS EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH GRANT ? ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATOR:

• Michael Albro, PhD, Boston University, "A Raman Spectroscopic Probe for Osteochondral Allograft Quality Assessments"
• Maria Siemionow, MD, PhD, DSc, University of Illinois at Chicago, Human Epineural Patch as a Novel Approach for Enhancement of Nerve Regeneration after Trauma"
• Dennis Paul Orgill, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, "Preclinical Combination of External Volume Expansion and a Decellularized Human-Derived Adipose Matrix for Minimally Invasive Soft Tissue Reconstruction."

MTF BIOLOGICS EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH GRANT? JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR:

• Cheryl Gomillion, PhD, New Jersey Institute Technology, "Bioprinting Scaffolds from Novel Allograft-Derived Bioinks to Advance Reconstruction of Osteochondral Interface"
• Michael Stone, MD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, "Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction with Knee Collateral Ligament Allograft: A Biomechanical Study"
• Shangping Wang, PhD, Clemson University, "Algorithm-driven loading optimization of DMSO-Free vitrification solutions for viable allografts"
• Andrea Alford, PhD, University of Michigan, "Maximizing graft performance in Masquelet"
• Michael McClure, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University, Degradation of Advanced Glycation End-Product Crosslinks in Skeletal Muscle Allografts for Use in Regeneration"

ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION ? MTF BIOLOGICS GRANT:
(Administered by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation)

• Spencer Szczesny, MD, The Pennsylvania State University, "Mechanobiological Deficits in Allograft ACL Reconstructions"

ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH & EDUCATION FOUNDATION - HERNDON RESIDENCY AWARD:
(Administered by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation)

• Ajay Premkumar, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, "The Role of Next Generation Sequencing in Assessing Eradication of PJI"
• John Frederick Dankert, MD, PhD, NYU Langone Health, "Identification of Novel Fracture Healing Regulator"

PLASTIC SURGERY FOUNDATION ? MTF BIOLOGICS ALLOGRAFT TISSUE RESEARCH GRANT:
(Administered by the Plastic Surgery Foundation)

• Anand Kumar, MD, Case Western Reserve University, "Evaluating Muscle Regeneration Using a Cell Enhanced Amniotic Membrane Allograft"
• Mario Solari, MD, University of Pittsburgh, "Engineering Vascularized Soft Tissues for Definitive Complex Wound Reconstruction"

Letters of Intent will be accepted soon for the 2021 MTF Biologics Extramural Grant Program. The application deadline is March 15, 2021. Interested applicants can view the Request for Proposals and find out how to submit a grant proposal on the MTF Biologics website at https://www.mtfbiologics.org/grants.

About MTF Biologics

MTF Biologics is a global nonprofit organization that saves and heals lives by advancing tissue and organ donation, transplantation, and research. We provide unmatched service, resources, and expertise to donors and their loved ones who give the gift of life, people who depend on tissue and organ transplants, healthcare providers, and clinicians and scientists. Our subsidiary, The International Institute for the Advancement of Medicine (IIAM), honors donors of non-transplantable organs by providing their gifts to the medical research community to combat and cure diseases. Our subsidiary, Statline, provides specialized communications and technology expertise to organ, tissue, and eye procurement organizations, as well as the hospitals and patients that they serve. Our sister organization, The German Institute for Cell and Tissue Transplantation (Deutsches Institute for Zell-und Gewebeersatz ? DIZG) expands our reach to patients across the globe. For more information, visit www.mtfbiologics.org.