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A natural breast for cancer survivors: resorbable implant supporting tissue regeneration

Project description

First bioresorbable breast implant

Only a small percentage of the 3 million women who survive breast cancer each year choose breast implant surgery as an option. Reasons for this include pain, high costs, potentially unsatisfactory results, discomfort or contraindications due to lumpectomy procedures. The EIC-funded regenera project offers a groundbreaking solution for breast reconstruction. This solution involves a bioresorbable breast implant developed by the medical technology company Tensive. This innovative implant ensures safety, customisation and single-surgery reconstruction. It uses a bioabsorbable scaffold made from a highly biocompatible polyurethane ester, incorporating patented structures that create a synthetic microvascular network. This network enables the colonisation of adipocytes in vivo, leading to vascularisation, integration of fat and maintenance of volume after implantation.

Objective

Of the 3 million women undergoing breast cancer resection every year, only a few opt for breast reconstruction due to pain, concerns about follow-up procedures and the lack of options. For lumpectomy patients traditional implants cannot be used, with only ~20-30% of lumpectomies being reconstructed. Autologous tissue transfer requires multiple painful interventions to reconstruct large volumes and obtain satisfactory results. Furthermore, both implants and autologous solutions require multiple follow-up surgeries, increasing costs and pain for the patients. REGENERA will be a unique solution for lumpectomy patients: a resorbable implant designed to restore a natural breast through tissue self-regeneration. It is a cell-free porous scaffold made of resorbable biocompatible poly(urethane-ester-ether) with a biomimetic architecture. It is designed to avoid follow-up surgeries and eliminate the risks associated with silicone and saline implants (rupture, leakage, ALCL) and fat grafting.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-EIC-ACC-BF - HORIZON EIC Accelerator Blended Finance

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2022-ACCELERATOR-01

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Coordinator

TENSIVE SRL
Net EU contribution
€ 2 498 600,00
Address
VIA TIMAVO 34
20124 Milano
Italy
SME
Yes
Region
Nord-Ovest Lombardia Milano
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost
€ 3 569 441,25