Michael H Weber
Associate Professor
![Michael H Weber Michael H Weber](/orthopaedics/files/orthopaedics/styles/medium_focal__220_x_220_/public/michael_weber_0336_print.jpg?itok=RJ-I1X4c)
MD, FRCSC
- 2021 Top International Spine Paper for the Year Award:Metastatic Spine Disease: Should Patients With Short Life Expectancy Be Denied Surgical Care? An International Retrospective Cohort Study
- 2020 Robert and Mary Hewitt Horizons Research Award.
- 2018 Global Spine Journal top 10 most cited article of 2018: 鈥淚ncidence, Predictors, and Postoperative Complications of Blood Transfusion in Thoracic and Lumbar Fusion Surgery: An Analysis of 13,695 Patients from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database鈥
- 2016 The Spine Technology and Educational Group Org Educational Scholarship Award
- 2015 Research & Salary Award : Fonds de recherche Sant茅 Qu茅bec- Programme de Bourses de chercheur-boursier clinicien Title : The Epidemiology, Process and Outcomes of Spine Oncology
- Redox-based physical plasma therapy for controlling spread of metastatic bone cancer and orthopedic infections.
- Composite 3D printed scaffolds for stabilization, tissue repair and local therapeutic delivery in bone tumor resections.
- Mechanically and Biologically Functional Adhesives for
- Intervertebral Disc Repair and Regeneration
- Management of Metastatic Spinal Tumors Using Functional Implants for Local Drug Delivery.
- Metastatic Tumor Research and Outcome Network (MTRON)
- Canadian Spine Outcomes and Research Network (CSORN)
My research interests and program include basic, translational & clinical research. The development of novel assessment tool and personalized surgical treatment to improve outcomes in patients with metastatic spine tumor are central objectives of my basic science research program. Spinal metastasis greatly diminishes patients鈥 quality of life. With advancement in medical, radiation and surgical oncology, these patients are living longer thereby increasing the disease burden. Surgical bone resection of metastatic tumors leads to large bone defects that cannot self-repair, presenting an unmet clinical need for improved treatments. Consequently, there is a necessity to undertake innovative approaches to bridge unmet clinical needs in bone repair and anticancer therapeutics in the treatment of bone metastasis. My team and I are currently working on the development of bone implants, used as reservoirs for the local release of therapeutics agents at the site of bone-metastasis resection. We have previously developed a novel 3D printing fabrication technique of bone implants that are specifically designed to replace the defect generated after resection of a destructive bony metastasis. This 3D printing technique allows for the fabrication of bio ceramic implants that are tailored or customized to the patient鈥檚 anatomy. Preliminary results using animal models showed these bone grafts were efficient in promoting bone tissue healing and regeneration. This technology has generated great enthusiasm in the orthopedic community both here at the 苹果淫院鈥檚 Montreal General Hospital and beyond. These implants can be loaded with bioactive drugs that could either prevent infections post-surgery or improve speed and quality of bone repair, and work is ongoing to test effects of drug infused implants on tumor growth and bone repair. Additional goals include the development of a novel tool to assess patient outcomes following radiation therapies and surgical removal of bone metastasis. We also aim to identify markers for enhanced patient outcomes, in order to better predict which patients may benefit from more aggressive treatment to better their quality of life. Thus, my research harness the potential of 3D printing technique to promote and bridge two areas of high potential for innovation and development of cancer treatment and beyond, namely bone tissue engineering and drug delivery systems.
Versteeg AL, Sahgal A, Rhines LD, Sciubba DM, Schuster JM, Weber MH, Lazary A, Boriani S, Bettegowda C, Fehlings MG, Clarke MJ, Arnold PM, Gokaslan ZL, Fisher CG; AOSpine Knowledge Forum Tumor. Health related quality of life outcomes following surgery and/or radiation for patients with potentially unstable spinal metastases. Spine J 2021 Mar;21(3):492-499 PMID: 33098985
M Cooke, JL Ramirez-GarciaLuna, K Rangel-Berridi, H Park, SN Nazhat, MH Weber, JE HENDERSON and DH Rosenzweig. 3D Printed Polyurethane Scaffolds for the Repair of Bone Defects . Published Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, section Biomaterials October 23rd 2020 doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.557215 PMID: 33195122
Bond MR, Versteeg AL, Sahgal A, Rhines LD, Sciubba DM, Schuster JM, Weber MH, Fehlings MG, Lazary A, Clarke MJ, Boriani S, Bettegowda C, Arnold PM, Gokaslan ZL, Fisher CG. Surgical or Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Cervical Spine Metastases: Results From the Epidemiology, Process, and Outcomes of Spine Oncology (EPOSO) Cohort. Global Spine J 2020 Feb;10(1):21-29. PMID: 32002346
Pitaru AA, Lacombe J-G, Cooke ME, Beckman L, Steffen T, Weber MH, Martineau PA, Rosenzweig DH. Investigating Commercial Filaments for 3D Printing of Stiff and Elastic Constructs with Ligament-Like Mechanics. Micromachines 2020, 11, 846. PMID: 32933035
C Mikhail, Z Pennington, PM. Arnold, DS. Brodke, R. Chapman, N Chutkan, MD. Daubs, JG. DeVine, MG. Fehlings, DE. Gelb, GM. Ghobrial, JS. Harrop, C Hoelscher, F Jiang, J J. Knightly, BK. Kwon, TE. Mroz, A Nassr, KD Riew, Lali H. Sekhon, JS. Smith, Vincent C. Traynelis, Jeffrey C. Wang, MH. Weber, JR. Wilson, CD. Witiw, M. Sciubba, Samuel K. Cho, Minimizing Blood Loss in Spine Surgery. Published Global Spine Journal January 6th 2020, Vol. 10(1S) 71S-83S
iang F, Wilson J, Bafhiwala J, Jefferson W, Weber MH, Santaguida C, Fehlings M. Quality and Safety Improvement in Spine Surgery. Published Global Spine Journal January 6th 2020, Vol. 10(1S) 17S-28S.
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