Fat Re-Breeding To Be Used In Breast Reconstuction

Thursday, 3 March 2005, 9:10 am
Press Release: The Scoop Team

Breast-amputated women should soon be able to re-breed fat tissue and form a new breast on their own body. Scientists succeeded in growing large amounts of fat tissue on pigs up to 80 millilitres of stable and well transplantable adipose tissue, says the German surgeon Juergen Dolderer.

It is expected that humans will benefit from the method within six to twelve months. The fat tissue is going to be used for reconstructive purposes, especially for the regeneration of a breast. Juergen Dolderer said it was “realistic” that the required tissue will be developed by the women’s own body.

Dolderer and his colleagues implanted into pigs a spherical hollow object of degradable material. "Growth cells" were inserted Into this “growth chamber”. The body was able to develop fat tissue and it formed its own blood supply. This procedure contrasts to previous methods that did not rely on blood supply from outside. Earlier methods prevented three-dimensional growth.

"After 12 weeks, the fat tissue had reached the size of a tennis ball," says Dolderer. After transplantation the tissue remained stable and didn’t grow any further. The procedure was tested on eight pigs. The method is not only suited for the build up of breasts, but also for defects in other soft body areas.

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