The incidence of breast cancer worldwide is on the rise. In 2010, 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer. In Australia alone, more than 13,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and of these approximately 5,000 need to have a mastectomy. Breast cancer survivors can experience a range of difficulties, ranging from physical limitations to psycho-social problems. Self esteem through breast reconstruction has been shown to be an important factor in their recovery. Several methods of reconstructive surgery are currently used following mastectomy: · Autologous flap reconstructions involve transferring sections of a woman’s fat tissue from the back or abdomen to the breast area. · Another method is implant reconstruction, which involves placing a silicone-gel or salinefilled implant behind or in front of the chest muscle. Both of these methods have side effects and specific risks. Researchers at the O’Brien Institute are developing a revolutionary technique that uses the woman’s own fat cells to build natural breast that looks and feels exactly like her other breast. The process, which is under development, envisages implanting a biodegradable synthetic chamber which, when combined with specific surgery to redirect blood vessels from the woman’s underarm through the chamber, will enable fat cells to grow in the shape of the chamber. The aim is to develop a chamber which can dissolve after the new breast is formed. The chamber will be made from a clinically-approved biodegradable material and could be customised to have the size, shape, strength and degradation properties to allow the growth of fat to fill the space permanently and precisely. This approach may provide women with a unique surgical solution to breast reconstruction, giving them a natural breast which aesthetically matches the healthy one. If the work is successfully brought to market, women could grow their own breast after mastectomy and it would look and feel natural. The O’Brien Institute has now spun out a wholly owned subsidiary, Neopec Pty Ltd, to further this work in collaboration with a Victorian-based team from the University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and other commercial partners.

NEOPEC and its collaborators, funded by a $2.95 million Victorian Government grant, has now started limited human trials, following several years of preclinical studies. With Neopec, women would have the benefit of only one operation, with no further surgery or corrective procedures required to repair scarring or implant damage. They would also have a shorter hospital stay, shorter recuperation time and no abdominal or back scarring as with tissue transfer surgery. The breast would also look and feel more natural. Surgeons too will benefit from a less complex procedure, reduced anaesthesia and reduced theatre costs compared to tissue transfer, as well as potentially lower levels of corrective surgeries than implant reconstruction. Importantly, this may result in more women agreeing to mastectomy and avoiding the morbidity associated with the radiotherapy combined with lumpectomy. If successful, Neopec technology could be widely available to breast cancer patients after a three-year trial. But it could take up to a decade for Neopec to be widely used for cosmetic purposes. NEOPEC anticipates that such an approach will be the basis of future reconstructive surgery. If successful, the method could be used to treat any type of contour defect, whether it is a breast, a congenital deformity or a trauma.