A new technology could prevent most breast implant rejections. So far, more than a quarter of all breast implants must be removed within four years, because neighboring tissues develop a rigid envelope of fibrous tissue to protect themselves from the foreign body. A company has developed a protective covering made up of a nanostructured surface and a layer of collagen that will prevent the body from rejecting the implant.
Our bodies treat all medical or plastic surgery devices- things like breast implants, knee and hip replacements, pacemakers and insulin pumps - as foreign invaders. We’re equipped with a complex surveillance system for recognizing and then eliminating them. In the empty intracellular space between the device and neighboring tissues, special cells that are in charge of this reaction, called fibroblasts, assemble to deal with the intruder. In certain cases, sometimes even several years after the implant is placed, they surround it and cover it in a very hard capsule. In addition to its unattractive appearance, particularly in breast implants, this reaction can also prevent the implant from functioning properly, such that in a quarter of patients, implants must be removed within four years after implantation.
The company Labseed has developed a technique that eliminates this problem, and in vivo results have demonstrated the effectiveness of their new approach. The major advance of their technique is that it renders foreign bodies virtually “invisible” to cells that are watching out for invaders. This new surface treatment technology, called “MYcoat,” combines nano/microtechnology and biochemistry.
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