Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

The scaphoid is a small bone located at the base of the thumb that is frequently fractured when one falls on an outstretched hand, for example while playing fast moving or high impact sports. Of the estimated 13,000 scaphoid fractures sustained by Canadians in a year the vast majority occur in young males between the ages of 20-30. Sometimes the broken ends of the bone become mis-aligned leading to a reduction in the limited supply of blood to the bone, failure to unite or even bone death. In order for scaphoid fractures to heal in a reasonable length of time the broken bone ends must be carefully aligned and pushed together. This is accomplished by placing the hand and arm in a rigid cast for up to 6 months. Alternatively a surgical procedure is used in which a compression screw is carefully placed down the middle of the longitudinal axis of the bone. Due to the small size of the bone the relative area occupied by a conventional compression screw is large and reduces the ability of the bone to regenerate and repair itself. We have a provisional patent on a novel compression screw that is smaller and made of a porous material that can be penetrated by cells that will regenerate bone and repair the fracture.