Scientists are expected to use engineered cartilage tissue for nasal reconstruction

　　 Recently, a research report published in the international journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Alberta said through research that facial plastic surgeons may be expected to obtain a safer cartilage tissue for nasal reconstruction. This means that patients will face less surgery and pain; in the article, researchers use a clinically approved collagen biomaterial as a scaffold to grow a new type of cartilage tissue that grows mature and becomes needed for patients to undergo nasal reconstruction. shape.

Researcher Professor Khalid Ansari said that our vision is that surgeons can simply remove a small piece of cartilage tissue from the inside of the nose and provide it to the laboratory, which then transforms the cartilage into a suitable shape and size. The engineered cartilage tissue is then inserted into the nasal cavity of the patient during surgery. Nasal reconstruction is a common result of surgery caused by skin cancer. In 2015, there were only more than 3 million skin cancer cases in North America, and about one-third of them occurred on the patient's nose. Cancer therapy often leads to patients. Nose loss and nasal defects. This is a very painful thing for the patient and can result in a high cost of treatment. Patients can't hide the flaws on their faces. These patients often don't participate in social activities because of their appearance, so it is really important to help these patients rebuild their noses to improve their health and social participation.

In this study, the researchers used the cartilage tissue of six donors to promote the maturation and proliferation of these septal chondrocytes in the laboratory, and then placed these cells as seeds on the scaffold in the bioreactor. By cultivating new tissues, the method used by the researchers took six weeks to produce the new cartilage tissue needed for nasal reconstruction. In many respects, engineered cartilage tissue is due to cartilage tissue collected from multiple parts of the body under normal conditions, such as ribs and ears. Cartilage tissue from ribs often carries potential risk of failure and possible infection, in addition to patients It takes a long time to recover after surgery, and the rib cartilage tissue also bends after nasal reconstruction, which means that it can not maintain the shape of the nasal cavity, and the cartilage tissue from the ear also faces some problems. It is brittle and difficult for the surgeon to perform.

Engineered cartilage tissue eliminates many of the defects and can potentially be a good source of nasal reconstruction for surgeons, which can be tailored to the patient's nose. Researcher Martin said that when the surgeon needs to rebuild the nose, we can actually simulate the structure of the nose specifically for the patient. It is like going to the tailor shop to customize the clothes, we will digitally scan the patient and then simulate Fill the cells in the structure.

Researchers have not yet tested this high-quality engineered nasal cartilage tissue in human patients, and they hope to open clinical trials in the next two years to prove the effect of this cartilage tissue; this research application is very significant, in order to obtain unlimited With biocompatible cartilage tissue, researchers need to conduct more in-depth research later.