Journal article
Tissue-engineered breast reconstruction: Bridging the gap toward large-volume tissue engineering in humans
MW Findlay, JH Dolderer, N Trost, RO Craft, Y Cao, J Cooper-White, G Stevens, WA Morrison
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery | Published : 2011
Abstract
Background: Use of autologous tissue is ideal in breast reconstruction; however, insufficient donor tissue and surgical and donor-site morbidity all limit its use. Tissue engineering could provide replacement tissue, but only if vascularization of large tissue volumes is achievable. The authors sought to upscale their small-animal adipose tissue-engineering models to produce large volumes of tissue in a large animal (i.e., pig). Methods: Bilateral large-volume (78.5 ml) chambers were inserted subcutaneously in the groin enclosing a fat flap (5 ml) based on the superficial circumflex iliac pedicle for 6 (n = 4), 12 (n = 1), and 22 weeks (n = 2). Right chambers included a poly(L-lactide-co- gl..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Operational Infrastructure Support Program of the Victoria State Government, Department of Business and Innovation. Additional support was supplied by the Microsurgery Foundation. Dr. Findlay was supported by scholarships from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, and the University of Melbourne. Dr. Dolderer was supported by the German Research Society. There are no other financial interests to declare in relation to the content of this article.