Miguel Montaner/Marlena Agency
When a patient has a tumor removed, surgeons may fill the cavity using silicone implants, soft tissue from another part of the patient’s body—or use no filler at all. Each option has drawbacks, such as scar formation, the need for replacement, additional surgical procedures or concerns about appearance.
But now, Johns Hopkins plastic surgeons and biomedical engineers have invented a composite material that supports a surgical cavity while encouraging new tissue growth within it. The composite has performed well in small-animal tests.
Two years ago, plastic and reconstructive surgeon Justin Sacks and surgical resident Sashank Reddy approached materials engineer Hai-Quan Mao in the Translational Tissue Engineering Center with a new idea. They wanted to reconstruct new soft tissue for patients after breast cancer removal using a soft material that surgeons could custom fit to fill a cavity.