Organisation/Department 
Technical University Vienna 
Head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Advanced Polymers for Biomaterials and 3D Printing 
Researcher at the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry 

Biography 
Stefan Baudis received his doctoral degree in Macromolecular Chemistry from the Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien) in 2011. He is researcher at the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry and the head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Advanced Polymers for Biomaterials and 3D Printing. His research focus is on polymeric biomaterials for medical engineering and biomedical applications.  

Title of Talk 
 Advanced Biophotopolymers for Bone Healing 

Abstract 
Autologous bone grafting is currently the most frequently used method for bone replacement, although key disadvantages like donor site morbidity, graft resorption or limited shaping of these grafts have not been solved. Alternative therapeutic approaches, such as alloplastic bone replacement materials, have been developed, however, feature unsatisfying biological and mechanical properties. For this, a steady increase in the demand for bone graft substitutes is expected. Bone grafts for the craniomaxillofacial region have a special position, because they are technologically very demanding as patient-specific implants are highly desired. Individualized 3D printed implants enable a digital surgery planning and patient-specific templates, e.g., cutting stencils, can be provided. This increases the quality of treatment at decreased costs, which are already reduced by ~one third considering the reduced surgery times alone. Moreover, the average time of hospitalization of 10 d is easily reduced by 2 d. We address this particular point in our research: We combine cutting edge 3D printing technology with the latest findings in patient specific treatment. The envisioned therapy is based on CT scans of the defected bone area. The surgical procedure is subsequently planned by CAD. Surgical guides are 3D printed and facilitate the removal of the excessive bone for an ideal grafting of the patient-specific implant. This implant itself is also 3D printed and consists of materials, which support the bone regeneration, but will degrade over time.