Nipple reconstruction techniques could be improved with 3D scaffolds

New Rochelle, NY, May 13, 2019-Nipple and areola reconstruction is a common breast reconstruction technique, especially for breast cancer patients after mastectomy. However, tissue for grafting is a limiting factor, and there is no gold standard method. Correspondingly, researchers are continuously exploring new methods for the expansion of patient-matched tissue samples and the improvement of cosmetic outcome, and these topics are the focus of a new review article published in Tissue Engineering, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the article for free on the Tissue Engineering website until June 13, 2019.

In the article, “Nipple Reconstruction: A Regenerative Medicine Approach using 3D Printed Tissue Scaffolds”, Dietmar Hutmacher, PhD, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues review the evolution of nipple reconstruction techniques from more established local skin flap surgical methods to modern tissue engineering approaches. The authors ultimately advocate and provide support for a combination of 3D printed biomaterial scaffolds with autologous cell seeding and in situ expansion.

“Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have the potential to dramatically improve current practices regarding nipple reconstruction,” says Tissue Engineering Co-Editor-in-Chief Antonios G. Mikos, PhD, Louis Calder Professor at Rice University, Houston, TX. “This review paper provides an invaluable summary of current research and an informative roadmap for future research to improve these reconstruction techniques with innovative biofabrication technologies.”

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Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online and in print in three parts: Part A, the flagship journal published 24 times per year; Part B: Reviews, published bimonthly, and Part C: Methods, published 12 times per year. Led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Antonios G. Mikos, PhD, Louis Calder Professor at Rice University, Houston, TX, and John P. Fisher, PhD, Fischell Family Distinguished Professor & Department Chair, and Director of the NIH Center for Engineering Complex Tissues at the University of Maryland, the Journal brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, material science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Leadership of Tissue Engineering Parts B (Reviews) and Part C (Methods) is provided by Katja Schenke-Layland, PhD, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Heungsoo Shin, PhD, Hanyang University; and John A. Jansen, DDS, PhD, Radboud University, and Xiumei Wang, PhD, Tsinghua University respectively. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Tissue Engineering website.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy, and Advances in Wound Care. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.