Breast cancer, even if the prognosis is favorable, results in psychological wounds, such as a sense of loss. This is because often some part of the breast needs to be resected in order to remove cancer cells during treatment. Many patients choose to artificially reconstruct their breasts, but side effects such as cancer recurrence and metastasis also appear.

A new technology to treat breast cancer from early diagnosis to drug delivery, treatment, prevention of recurrence, and restoration of shape, has been developed by the research team of Professors Cheol Sang Kim and Chan Hee Park (Bionanosystem Engineering) of Chonbuk National University. In particular, it is expected that patients will be able to restore the shape of their original breast as it was before the surgery, using their own tissues. This breakthrough will provide a milestone in breast cancer treatment after clinical trials, medical approvals, and commercialization.

In his previous work, Professor Kim has developed a new treatment method that uses carbon nanomaterials for chemotherapy and thermotherapy simultaneously outside the body.

Development of the conventional high-precision mediating (non-invasive) medical technology has been carried out mostly in the United States and Europe. However, much of this research has technical limitations. For example, only diagnoses and treatment are performed.

The CBNU research team has developed an all new treatment method: early diagnosis - drug delivery - treatment - inhibition of recurrence - and restoration of breast shape.

This method was developed by the team whereby rGO (reduced graphene oxide) on the nanofiber base was thoroughly dispersed, and chemotherapy and pre-adipocyte were injected. Through this, the team proved that the restoration of breast shape is possible, as well as the treatment. It is expected to have a significant impact not only on the existing anti-cancer device market, but also on the new human implantable interventional device market such as the stent.

"We need to conduct preclinical and clinical trials until the development and commercialization of this original technology," said Professor Kim, who is also the Dean of the College of Engineering. “We will make efforts to establish a breakthrough in breast cancer treatment by collaborating with domestic bio companies.”

The research was carried out with the support of the National Research Foundation of Korea. It was published in the international journal Advanced Functional Materials (IF = 12.124) and was also selected as a cover paper.