Despite breast implants are widely used for reconstructive and aesthetic purposes, their textured surfaces raise safety concerns because of potential links to anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and breast cancer recurrence. Most cases of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) are associated with macrotextured implants but this link and the underlying mechanism(s) needs to be investigated more in depth.

Leveraging on a highly interdisciplinary team, this project aims to: analyze the immune system landscapes and the microbiome in the periprosthetic fluid collected from patients bearing implants with different textures; to develop an in vitro model that simulates the in vivo relationship between the implant microenvironment -characterized by the microbial population and the host immune system- and the texture of the prosthesis surface.