Implantation of the Matisse prosthesis by Prof. Nemsadze’s team at the Institute of Clinical Oncology (photo credits: Lattice Medical)
2022 is definitely a milestone year for medical 3D printing. What might have seemed hypothetical or out of reach just a few years ago is happening right before our eyes. The promise of generative and personalized medicine thanks to this tailor-made technology is increasingly becoming a reality for patients. After the American 3DBio Therapeutics successfully carried out the first transplant of a bioprinted ear on a 20-year-old woman, another world premiere, this time with a French accent, took place.
Two months following the launch of its clinical trials, the nugget from Lille Lattice Medical, formalized yesterday the first implantation of its 3D printed breast prosthesis in a patient. The first in a long series, the operation took place on July 12 at the Institute of Clinical Oncology in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. A feat full of promise achieved by Pr Gia Nemsadze and his entire team, and in the presence of the co-founders of Lattice Medical, Pr. Pierre Guerreschi, Pr. Philippe Marchetti, (both PUPH at the Lille University Hospital) and Mr Julien Payen .
The first patient to benefit from this printed and bioresorbable prosthesis is a 62-year-old woman suffering from breast cancer. The surgical intervention lasting an hour and a half, compared to three to 12 hours for a classic reconstruction by flap, allowed the realization of the mastectomy, immediately followed by the breast reconstruction. Two months following the operation, Lattice Medical reports complete healing and a very healthy patient.
If you don’t know her yet, Lattice Medical is a French start-up that has taken advantage of the great freedom of form of 3D printing to develop a breast prosthesis that can adapt perfectly to the morphology of the patient. For this, the company has developed a device made up of two parts: a three-dimensional support inspired by the 3D properties of Calais lace, and a 3D printed dome serving as a guide for cell growth.
“Aesthetic criteria of the reconstructed breast, quality of life and patient satisfaction will be assessed”
Principle of operation of MATISSE (Regeneration of adipose tissue then resorption of the implant)
A scanner or an MRI performed on the patient, allows the realization of a tailor-made prosthesis perfectly conforming to her morphology. Once the device is implanted, a pedicled and vascularized flap of fat is placed inside. The growth of adipose tissue can then take place until the tissue chamber is completely filled.
Printed from a polymer derived from polylactic acid, this 3D implant is fully degradable. Under the effect of the various biological reactions produced by the body, the device ends up completely disappearing following 18 months.
« Synchronously, the biomaterial constituting the TEC (tissue engineered chamber) is fully resorbable. Patients will be followed regularly for 12 or 24 months. “Specifies Lattice Medical. ” Flap growth and TEC resorption will be measured by MRI. The aesthetic criteria of the reconstructed breast, the quality of life and the satisfaction of the patients will be evaluated. »
The reason why this solution developed by Lattice Medical is particularly innovative compared to the existing one, is that a single operation (especially very fast) is enough, and it allows a natural reconstruction of the patients’ breasts. More traditional reconstruction techniques such as flap reconstruction are operations known to be particularly heavy, but also very costly for the health system. A step full of promise therefore, and a source of hope for the 22,000 French women who must undergo a mastectomy each year following breast cancer.
Including a recruitment period of 8 months, the clinical study will be spread over three years. Its protagonists plan to include 50 patients, in Georgia, France and Spain in 8 centers. It will be coordinated by Pr Pierre Guerreschi working in the plastic surgery department of the Lille University Hospital.
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