Novel natural hydrogel-based, 3D-printed biomimetic prosthesis for breast volume reconstruction
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in females, the treatment or prophylaxis of which often requires a single or double mastectomy. Following mastectomy, a minority of women opt to undergo reconstructive surgery, which can be achieved using implants, flap-based procedures or autologous fat grafting. Whilst breast reconstruction has many net benefits, each of these techniques comes with a host of problems, including the need to undergo future surgeries and long-term sequelae. Recent advancements in the fields of 3D-printing and regenerative medicine have opened the door to a novel approach; 3D-printed bio-based scaffold implants designed to support autologous tissue ingrowth. In this study, we present a new 3D printed porous scaffold (3DPPS) made of a gelatin and alginate blend and assess a range of the implant’s functional properties in vitro and in vivo, including mechanical properties, cytotoxicity, cell survival and proliferation, vascularisation and implant resorption. We demonstrate that, in vitro, our 3DPPS is not cytotoxic towards human cells, supports cell colonisation, extracellular matrix neosynthesis, blood vessel infiltration and angiogenesis in grafted human adipose tissue. In vivo, the 3DPPS has a favourable biocompatibility profile in rodents. Overall, our results represent a significant step forward in the search for a regenerative approach to breast reconstruction.
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BibTeX
@article{cherblanc2026novel,
title = {{Novel natural hydrogel-based, 3D-printed biomimetic prosthesis for breast volume reconstruction}},
author = {Audrey Cherblanc and Baptiste Godet and Marilou Gleizes and Luciano Vidal and Christophe Marquette and Amélie Thepot and Morgan dos Santos and Caroline Durand},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-64890-1},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05759948v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Novel natural hydrogel-based, 3D-printed biomimetic prosthesis for breast volume reconstruction
AU - Audrey Cherblanc
AU - Baptiste Godet
AU - Marilou Gleizes
AU - Luciano Vidal
AU - Christophe Marquette
AU - Amélie Thepot
AU - Morgan dos Santos
AU - Caroline Durand
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/31
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-64890-1
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05759948v1
AB - Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in females, the treatment or prophylaxis of which often requires a single or double mastectomy. Following mastectomy, a minority of women opt to undergo reconstructive surgery, which can be achieved using implants, flap-based procedures or autologous fat grafting. Whilst breast reconstruction has many net benefits, each of these techniques comes with a host of problems, including the need to undergo future surgeries and long-term sequelae. Recent advancements in the fields of 3D-printing and regenerative medicine have opened the door to a novel approach; 3D-printed bio-based scaffold implants designed to support autologous tissue ingrowth. In this study, we present a new 3D printed porous scaffold (3DPPS) made of a gelatin and alginate blend and assess a range of the implant’s functional properties in vitro and in vivo, including mechanical properties, cytotoxicity, cell survival and proliferation, vascularisation and implant resorption. We demonstrate that, in vitro, our 3DPPS is not cytotoxic towards human cells, supports cell colonisation, extracellular matrix neosynthesis, blood vessel infiltration and angiogenesis in grafted human adipose tissue. In vivo, the 3DPPS has a favourable biocompatibility profile in rodents. Overall, our results represent a significant step forward in the search for a regenerative approach to breast reconstruction.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -