The European Commission has approved funding for the MAXIBONE project, which Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the university is participating in, along with several of the main research centres focusing on bone regeneration in Europe.

The MAXIBONE project is coordinated by the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) and involves participation from universities, hospitals and companies from the biomedical and dental sector in Spain, France, Norway, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Sweden.  The main objective of this project is to undertake a randomised and controlled clinical trial on increases seen in the alveolar ridge on both the jawbone and maxillary bone.

In order to do this, the consortium consisting of all the participating organisations will undertake a clinical trial with 150 patients to compare the safety and efficiency of autologous bone grafts with bone implants derived from expanded mesenchymal stem cells from autologous bone marrow, which are associated with a synthetic bone substitute covered by a membrane that can be reabsorbed. 

The MAXIBONE project will be undertaken in 10 large hospitals, while the production of mesenchymal stem cells will be undertaken in blood transfusion institutes in both France and Germany.  Efficient monitoring of the trial will allow a clinical database to be set up that will evaluate the safety, efficiency and cost of the project.  Likewise, participation from a company called Mimetis and the use of its innovative biomimetic biomaterial, as well as Straumann, an industry leader in dental implantology, will contribute to the development and dissemination of strategies for application in future tailored treatments in the field of regenerative medicine.

The European Commission will fund the MAXIBONE project within the framework of its R+D Horizon 2020 programme, aimed at encouraging innovation and knowledge in Europe.