Much attention has recently focused on the development and promise of materials and devices used for the repair of bone. To review current and future bone graft substitute technology including the use of tissue-engineered medical products (TEMPs), a Bone Graft Substitutes Workshop will be presented by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and ASTM Committee F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, Fla.

The workshop will include speakers from ASTM and AAOS with input from representatives of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and industry. There will be ample opportunity for audience participation in the program which will:

• Discuss current state-of-the-art in autograft and allograft replacement for bone repair and replacement;

• Discuss current state-of-the-art in available graft substitutes, their indications, and clinical performance;

• Critically review future bone graft substitute technology systems currently at the pre-clinical or clinical trial stage;

• Describe the current challenges and controversies in development of bone graft substitutes from a testing/quality assurance perspective;

• Describe the current challenges and controversies in development of bone graft substitutes from a regulatory perspective; and

• Provide general and specific recommendations in the development of standards for performance of bone graft substitutes.

The workshop chairman is Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., Helen I. Moorehead professor of Chemical Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa., and clinical associate professor of Orthopedic Surgery at MCP-Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, a member of both ASTM Committee F04 and the Biological Implants Committee of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery.

Assisting as co-chairmen are Mohamed Attawia, M.D., research associate professor, Chemical Engineering Dept., Drexel University, Philadelphia, and John Kirkpatrick, M.D., associate professor, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Pre-registration is highly recommended to assure meeting space. To register, contact Staff Manager Teresa Cendrowska, ASTM (610/832-9718). The November event will serve as a prelude to a major symposium on bone graft substitutes tentatively planned for May 2001.

For further technical information, contact Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Chemical Engineering, Center for Advanced Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University., CAT Building, 3rd flr., Room 383, 3141 Chestnut St., Phila, PA 19104 (215/895-6210). The workshop will be presented during the standards development meetings of ASTM Committee F04, Nov. 15-17 in Orlando. //

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