Abstract

Breast reconstruction is an option to restore the breasts after the surgical removal of breast tissue during cancerrelated surgery. Tissue engineering techniques offer novel solutions to this problem through development of bioactive tissue constructs that can regenerate adipose tissue for normal structure and function. Recently, a number of studies have been designed to explore various methods to engineer human adipose tissue for breast reconstruction. These approaches combine the use of a scaffolding material (which is able to provide the proper volume, shape and mechanical stability, as well as timed growth factor delivery), with the use of mesenchymal stromal cells derived from the patient fat tissue - also referred to as adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs)- to re-grow adipose tissue to functionally replace the lost breast. In order for these mixed implants to successfully serve as a feasible clinical option, it is mandatory that the implant manufacturing process be GMP compliant. This article aims to review recent patents covering the development of soft tissue implants for breast reconstruction. The focus will be oriented towards the cell component, particularly on the mesenchymal stem cells used as a tissue regeneration cell source.

Keywords: ADSC, biomaterial, breast cancer, mesenchymal stem cells, implant.