In the latest issue of Engineering at Maryland: Built for Breakthrough, Amal Shabazz and Lexi Christensen are acknowledged for their work in advancing breast reconstruction. See below for the entire story:

More than 100,000 women undergo mastectomies each year to treat or prevent breast cancer. Though the procedure can be lifesaving, its emotional toll can be devastating: More than two-thirds of patients say the changes in their bodies led them to experience significant psychological distress. While breast reconstruction can help, the process is incomplete at best, in part because there are few methods to effectively recreate the pigmented area of the breast known as the nipple-areolar complex (NAC). Many women feel that tattoos, a common solution, are a far from perfect replacement. That may soon change, thanks to efforts led by graduate students Lexi Christensen and Amal Shabazz, who work in John Fisher’s laboratory within the Fischell Department of Bioengineering. Christensen, Shabazz, and Fisher have developed a promising 3D-printed NAC that pairs non-degradable materials to support the NAC’s shape and mechanical properties with degradable biomaterials that support the growth of connective tissue and blood vessels within the implant. The work offers a level of sophistication that was all but impossible to create previously, says Fisher. “3D printing can precisely assemble many materials and many cell types into an object in ways that can’t be replicated by other processes,” he says. “We can use printing to build tissues that approach the complexity of our own tissues.” Their efforts are gaining momentum: After securing initial support from an NIH grant, Fisher and his team are partnering with a local Maryland company to help build implants ready for FDA approval—and patient use—before 2030.

The story was adapted from the Engineering at Maryland Fall/Winter 2024 issue.