Have you ever wondered why, in an age when we transplant organs and modify genes, the breast implant is still a fundamentally foreign object to the body? In France, where about 22.000 women undergo a mastectomy each year, this question is not at all academic. It is the concrete dilemma that has driven researchers at Mecellis Biotech to develop a totally different breast prosthesis: an implant made from pig skin that, once inserted, acts like a temporary scaffold that is gradually replaced by the patient's own tissue. An approach that could make silicone prostheses obsolete, which, however aesthetically valid, will forever remain foreign bodies that need to be replaced periodically.
A response to the refusal of reconstruction
Il breast cancer It is a monster that devours approximately 60.000 new French lives every year, taking away 12.000. The data is no different in Italy (estimated in 2022 55.700 new cases). And after the fight, for many survivors, there is the bitter medicine of mastectomy: tens of thousands of women undergo it annually.
It is interesting to note that a not small percentage of these women categorically refuse any type of reconstruction. Some out of personal conviction, others because they are scared of current prostheses (mainly silicone), an inert material that remains an intruder in the body. An intruder that, among other things, requires replacement every ten years, with all the baggage of operations, anesthesia and convalescence.
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The “swine” innovation that changes the breast prosthesis
The audacity of the laboratories of La Rochelle is exactly this: they have created a reabsorbable implant that is progressively integrated by the patient's organism. And no, I'm not delirious: this breast prosthesis that "self-builds" thanks to the woman's cells is made with pig skin.
Surprised? You shouldn't. Pig skin has properties remarkably similar to human skin and has long been used in reconstructive medicine. The process is fascinating: it is taken from pigs destined for food, then transformed in the laboratory by eliminating all the porcine cells, keeping only the biocompatible components.
A is added to this structure biopolymer which forms a flexible but temporary prosthesis; once implanted, it functions as a temporary exoskeleton that is gradually colonized and replaced by the patient's tissues. It is science at the service of the reconstruction (not only physical) of female identity.
Waiting times for this revolution
Since 2017, Mecellis Biotech works on this innovation. A work also recognized by the French Tech Bordeaux which rewarded the company last November. But let's not celebrate too soon: European validation is still missing before marketing. If all goes according to plan, women could have access to this natural alternative within the next two years. A solution that promises to be as simple to implant as a traditional prosthesis, but with radically different benefits.
I wonder if in two years we will be here commenting on the first case of success, or if this will be yet another postponed promise of medicine. Because, let's face it, we have seen many announced revolutions. But this... this could really change the cards on the table.
