Researchers Print 4D Personalized ‘Smart’ Breast Implants
02 October 2023: Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) have created personalized 4D Printed “Smart” Implants for breast cancer treatment. These implants are programmed to change size to better fit within breast cavity and resulting in personalization to an individual’s body, therefore, improving aesthetic of those who have breast cancer. The implants also have the ability to release chemotherapy drugs, protecting the patients from the return of the cancer cells in the area.
Study was conducted by Prof. Dimitrios Lamprou, Chair of Biofabrication and Advanced Manufacturing, School of Pharmacy at QUB and his team members.
Breast cancer is second most common cancer worldwide, especially among females. According to World Health Organization, more than 2.3 million cases occur each year and around 30% of cases die from the disease – making it the most common cancer among adults. Around 1,400 women in Northern Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
Emerging technologies, such as 4D printing, present an opportunity to improve the management of breast cancer through the development of smart implants. 4D printing is the manufacturing of dynamic 3D printed objects that can change their morphology and/or characteristics. These changes are predictable and programmable, and are enabled by one or more external stimuli, such as the variation in the pH, temperature, humidity, light or the presence of a magnetic field.
Research team manufactured implants via a 4D bioprinter which contains doxorubicin that enables the implants to change size to better fit within the breast cavity. Due to the small size of these new breast implants, they are also more affordable and easier to manufacture, meaning they can be prepared in hospitals for direct and personalized treatment.
“This innovative idea started after discussions with doctors and patients, explaining to us the challenges in operation, management, and everyday life. By making, for the first time, these 4D printed implants, the breast cavity after surgery can be covered with an implant that mimics the elasticity of the breast and provide better management of the breast cancer by releasing a chemotherapeutic drug that will ‘keep away’ the return of the tumor,” said Prof. Dimitrios Lamprou.
