Scientists keep human breast tissue alive outside body for a week

Scientists have found a way of keeping human breast tissue viable outside the body for at least a week — a development described as a “breakthrough.”Culturing tissue samples by preserving them in a special gel solution means that different drugs and hormones can be tested on live tissue to see how they interact with cells, helping speed up the development of new drugs.

“Breast cancer mortality is decreasing in the UK thanks to improved screening and treatment options, but incidences continue to rise and breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK,” said Lester Barr, consultant breast surgeon and founder of the charity Prevent Breast Cancer.

“It’s therefore really important that we develop new prevention and risk reduction options for women, especially for those with a high risk due to their family history or genetics.”He added: “This breakthrough means that researchers will be able to test new drugs in the lab with far greater accuracy. It’s a hugely exciting development in animal-free research which puts us in a really strong place to find new drugs to prevent breast cancer.”The research was funded by Prevent Breast Cancer and led by the University of Manchester.