Monday, October 28, 2019
Lattice Medical Breast reconstruction with 3D printing
Lattice Medical is a young start-up that has already won several awards. Created in 2017, its implantable bio-prosthesis Matisse allowing natural breast reconstruction thanks to a 3D printed implant will be the subject of clinical trials in 2022.
It all began in 2012 with a meeting. A plastic surgeon, a biologist, a biochemist and a textile engineer met to discuss a common project. The idea of enabling and rethinking breast reconstruction in a less invasive way was already beginning to take hold. Five years of research later, Lattice Medical was born in the Hauts-de-France region, in Loos.
The team, made up of a dozen people, works on both mechanical and biological aspects and has developed the Matisse implantable bioprosthesis, which allows natural breast reconstruction through the regeneration of autologous fatty tissue. This is customisable thanks to a 3D implant that can be resorbed after the reconstruction.
Creating 3D implants in flexible resorbable material
We receive biodegradable polymers in the form of granules that we then transform into filaments," explains Kevin Roux, R&D process engineer. This medical grade material is stored in ideal conditions and we test their physico-chemical properties beforehand and throughout the modification process to ensure that they do not degrade.
During extrusion, the filaments are used on FDM printers. This additive manufacturing step allows the implant to be created in 3D, layer by layer. "Due to the geometry of the prosthesis, printing requires the use of a support in order to obtain optimal quality. This water-soluble support avoids any material collapse or printing defects.
The 3D-printed prosthesis consists of two parts: a base and a shell printed in a polymer derived from medical grade PLA (polylactic acid).
The prosthesis is then inserted into the mastectomised breast. And a flap of vascularised fat tissue, taken from the patient, will be introduced. The implant can be customised by means of an MRI performed systematically before the removal of the breast.
Shaping the breast
Within 3 to 8 months, the shell will fill with fatty tissue and within 18 months, the implant will have disappeared from the body through biological reactions. "The patient does not live with a long-term foreign body that she has to remove after about ten years and she does not need a second surgery," says Kevin Roux.
The technology is patented. Lattice Medical is gradually setting up in a clean room. An investment of more than a dozen printers was recently made. "We hope to set up with a partner by April so that we can start producing 1,000 prostheses and begin our first preclinical studies," says Kevin Roux.
After an initial fundraising of €2.3 million in 2018, a further €6 million is planned for 2021 once production has started. This should, in particular, enable the financing of clinical trials, the strengthening of the marketing and sales teams and the start of communication.
An international market and other possible applications
If all goes well, the teams hope to be able to start the first clinical trials in 2022 and are aiming for CE marking in 2024. The market is international. "2.4 million patients are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. 40% of them will undergo a mastectomy. Less than 20% of these women will undergo reconstruction. Our technology meets a real need," says Julien Payen, co-founder of Lattice Medical.
The ambition of the Northern company is clear: to manufacture and market the prosthesis for the reconstruction and cosmetic surgery markets by 2024 and to have a 10% share of the world market by 2030.
Winner of several competitions in 2017, including the Théophile Legrand Textile Innovation Prize in March, the Pink Ribbon Prize in the quality of life category in September and the Start-up Prize and Force Awards Grand Prize in November, Lattice Medical is considering other possible applications for its technology: breast reconstruction but also cosmetic surgery for all forms of soft tissue-type reconstruction implants.
Editor: Nadia Vanloven