Claims
- 1. The method of replacing a body part or filling a void in head and neck surgery, comprising the steps of obtaining a non-diseased, cell sample from a patient's head and neck area, rapidly growing such cells in a bioreactor and within a mold in which a replica of the patient's body part or void is produced, and surgically implanting the molded body part or void as a replacement in the patient's head and neck area, such that the molded body part or void replaces the missing body part or void and regenerates therein and fuses with the adjacent tissues in the head and neck area of the respective patient.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell sample is obtained from the respective patient's nasal septum.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the cells obtained are chondrocytes.
- 4. The method of claim 1 further including a scaffold made from a bio-degradable polymer for supporting the molded tissue or body part.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to provisional applications Serial No. 60/081,016 filed Apr. 8, 1998, Ser. No. 60/104,842 filed Oct. 20, 1998 and Ser. No. 60/165,608 filed Nov. 15, 1999 and is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/275,319 filed Mar. 24, 1999, now U.S. Pat No. 6,378,527.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
5041138 |
Vacanti et al. |
Aug 1991 |
A |
5512475 |
Naughton et al. |
Apr 1996 |
A |
5709854 |
Griffith-Cima et al. |
Jan 1998 |
A |
5786217 |
Tubo et al. |
Jul 1998 |
A |
5919702 |
Purchio et al. |
Jul 1999 |
A |
6082364 |
Balian et al. |
Jul 2000 |
A |
6143293 |
Weiss et al. |
Nov 2000 |
A |
Provisional Applications (3)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/165608 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
|
60/104842 |
Oct 1998 |
US |
|
60/081016 |
Apr 1998 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/275319 |
Mar 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/712662 |
|
US |