Stem cell breasts: not long to wait
Researchers from the Institute of Microsurgery named after Bernard O'Brien (Melbourne, Australia), working under the guidance of Professor Wayne Morrison, are planning to start clinical trials of the revolutionary Neopec tissue engineering technique, which has already received the approval of the ethics Committee, within the next six months. This technique will allow women who have undergone mastectomy surgery for malignant breast tumors to restore almost natural breasts from their own cells.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, from the London Breast Institute and St. George's Hospital, plans to seek the approval of the ethics committee next month to conduct similar clinical trials, which he plans to start in March 2010.
According to official data, the study of the effectiveness of Neopec will be the world's second trial of a tissue engineering method involving humans. According to experts' forecasts, if clinical trials are successful, the technique can be introduced into clinical practice in about three years.
The developers of the method claim that it will allow for eight months to restore the breast, and the resulting organ will be more natural than implants made of silicone or saline solution, both externally and by touch. The Neopec technique can also be used for cosmetic purposes for breast augmentation, but it is primarily intended for cancer patients.
Six women who are considered to have been cured of cancer for at least two years will participate in the research. In this case, a strict selection of patients is necessary, since the main risk associated with the procedure is the stimulation of the growth of tumor cells that could remain in the body after the removal of the primary tumor.
The technique is based on the isolation of a certain number of the patient's own fat cells and their cultivation in the laboratory in order to increase the number of cells. After that, a biocompatible frame is inserted under the patient's skin, creating a cavity whose shape corresponds to the shape of the woman's second breast, into which branches of axillary blood vessels are brought. The patient's fat cells are injected into the cavity, enriched as a result of cultivation with stem cells, which continue to divide and gradually fill the cavity inside the frame.
Recently, the authors tested a technique, the development of which took about 10 years, on pigs. The restoration of mammary glands in animals took only six weeks. Earlier studies on laboratory mice also yielded good results.
According to Dr. Phillip Marzella, operating director of the Institute of Microsurgery. Bernard O'Brien, this approach is based on the inherent ability of the body to fill the voids formed inside it. He noted that the developers hope that over time the Neopec technique will find wide application all over the world and will help a huge number of women who, for whatever reason, are forced to abandon traditional reconstructive surgical interventions, as well as those with silicone implants.
Perhaps a new approach that gives hope of restoring a real breast can mitigate the shock experienced by women who have learned about the diagnosis of breast cancer.
According to Dr. Marcellus, during the first clinical trials, skeletons will be used, which will be surgically removed after breast reconstruction. In the future, the developers plan to switch to biodegradable analogues. They also hope that over time their proposed approach will find its place in plastic surgery not only of the breast, but also of other parts of the body, for example, the nose.
To date, the technique allows you to grow a breast consisting only of adipose tissue and having no functioning glandular tissue and milk ducts. Experts do not deny the possibility of using breast stem cells to form a full-fledged breast with a nipple and milk ducts. However, they emphasize that this is still a prospect of the distant future.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, Alexander Chubenko
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to Timesonline: "Pioneering technique for growing new breasts could be available next year" and Heraldsun "Melbourne scientists poised to begin surgery to help cancer victims regrow breasts"16.11.2009