Research
In-Situ Injectable Highly Porous Scaffolds for Breast Reconstruction
The Need
Following breast cancer diagnosis, a substantial percentage of patients undergo a lumpectomy (partial mastectomy) or full mastectomy. Breast reconstruction is offered either at the time of removal or later, depending on the need for adjuvant therapy. In case of partial mastectomy long-term solution for filling the created defects is still an unmet need. Autologous fat grafting and injection of natural polymers such as hyaluronic acid were tried, they did not provide a long-term solution for filling tissue defects, due to resorption over time, requiring repeated procedures to maintain the volume.
Our Solution
Novel porous structures based on natural polymers have been developed to serve for breast reconstruction following partial mastectomy. These structures are designed to enable desired mechanical and physical properties, and host tissue to grow inside, for high quality and fast reconstruction.
Soft and elastic (resilient) highly porous scaffolds, which resemble adipose tissues, have been developed to fit for breast tissue regeneration. Also, this approach is of minimally invasive character, and hence, would strongly reduce the patient’s discomfort, complications and expenses. Moreover, high level of patient customization can be designed to immediately adapt towards complex voids upon the administration.
