Injectable Breast ‘Implant’ Offers Alternative to Traditional Surgeries

Breast cancer surgery can require the removal of part or all of the breast, leaving patients with difficult decisions about reconstruction. Current reconstructive options often rely on prosthetic implants or tissue grafts taken from other parts of the body, which can involve significant scarring, long recovery times, and post-surgical complications. Researchers have now developed an injectable, skin-derived material designed to restore breast volume after tumor removal while reducing scarring and healing time.

In the research led by Seoul National University (Seoul, Republic of Korea), the team focused on acellular dermal matrix (ADM), a processed form of human skin that retains structural and biological components such as collagen, elastin, and growth factors essential for tissue repair. To create an injectable version, donated human skin was decellularized, frozen, and pulverized into fine particles, which were then mixed with water to form a thick paste. Unlike traditional sheet-based ADM products used in plastic and reconstructive surgery, this paste can be injected directly into tissue defects to act as a space-filling scaffold.

The injectable ADM paste was tested in rats to evaluate biocompatibility and long-term tissue response. Animals receiving the new paste showed no adverse health effects over six months. Compared with two commercially available ADM products, the injectable paste produced thinner encapsulating tissue layers around the implant. Thinner tissue layers are clinically desirable, as they lower the risk of complications such as infection, hematoma, and capsular contracture.

The findings, reported in ACS Applied Bio Materials, suggest that an injectable, acellular skin-derived matrix could offer a safer and less invasive alternative for reconstructive breast surgery. By promoting blood vessel growth and tissue remodeling while minimizing inflammation, the material may improve cosmetic outcomes and long-term comfort for patients. Further studies, including longer-term safety testing and more complex preclinical models, are required before clinical use. The researchers plan to refine the material and evaluate its performance in settings that more closely mimic human breast reconstruction.

“By promoting blood vessel growth and tissue remodeling while keeping inflammation low and reducing capsular contracture, the injectable acellular matrix could make breast reconstruction safer, less invasive, and more accessible, thereby improving long-term comfort and cosmetic outcomes for patients,” said Pham Ngoc Chien, one of the study’s lead researchers.

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Seoul National University