Joint venture: UCI, others create breakthrough treatment for crippling jaw disease

Engineered implant could help 1 in 4 young women with TMJ problems

June 20, 2018

Joint venture: UCI, others create breakthrough treatment for crippling jaw disease

“We believe this represents an important first in all joint healing studies,” says senior author Kyriacos Athanasiou, UCI Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering. Steve Zylius / UCI

Irvine, Calif., June 20, 2018 — A first-ever tissue implant to safely treat a common jaw defect, known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction, has been successfully tested by UCI-led researchers in animals.

“We were able to show that we could achieve exceptional healing of the TMJ area after eight weeks of treatment,” said UCI Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering Kyriacos Athanasiou, senior author on the study, published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. He has spent nearly two decades researching the condition and potential cures.