Lake
Buena Vista, Fla. (May 13, 2000) — A tissue
engineering approach to breast augmentation
has yielded encouraging results. Biodegradable
breast implants for augmentation were constructed
using a biodegradable scaffold [Poly-Glycolyco-Acid
or PLGA] in conjunction with the long-term
delivery of insulin and IGF-1 [Insulin Like
Growth Factor]. The hypothesis being tested
was whether cells could be stimulated by
insulin and IGF to generate human fatty
tissue to replace the biodegradable scaffold.

The results of the animal study were presented
at the Annual Meeting of the American Society
for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) in
Lake Buena Vista. The study's author, plastic
surgeon Eser Yuksel, MD, says: "While
research at this point is in its early stages,
this study supports the conclusion that
future efforts to develop a biodegradable
breast implant for augmentation and for
a breast prefabrication method for reconstruction
following mastectomy are worth pursuing."

Total replacement by fibro-fatty tissue
was observed in IGF and IGF-insulin treated
groups. The utilization of different scaffolds
for higher volume augmentation and computer-aided
image analysis for the microscopic evaluation
of tissue are currently in process. Breast
augmentation is the second most requested
cosmetic surgical procedure, according to
ASAPS 1999 statistics. Studies have repeatedly
confirmed that women who seek this procedure
with realistic expectations experience improvements
in body image, self-esteem and quality of
life.

Co-authors: Doctors Eser Yuksel, Adam B.
Weinfeld, Robert C. Cleek, John Jensen,
Jacob M. Waugh, Melvin Spira, and Saleh
M. Shenaq of Houston, TX