The human mammary gland represents a highly organized and dynamic tissue, uniquely characterized by postnatal developmental cycles. During pregnancy and lactation, it undergoes extensive hormone-stimulated architectural remodeling, culminating in the formation of specialized structures for milk production to nourish offspring. Moreover, it carries significant health implications, due to the high prevalence of breast cancer. Therefore, gaining insight into the unique biology of the mammary gland can have implications for managing breast cancer and promoting the well-being of both women and infants. Tissue engineering techniques hold promise to narrow the translational gap between existing breast models and clinical outcomes. Here, we provide an overview of the current landscape of breast tissue engineering, outline key requirements, and the challenges to overcome for achieving more predictive human breast models. We propose methods to validate breast function and highlight preclinical applications for improved understanding and targeting of breast cancer. Beyond mammary gland physiology, representative human breast models can offer new insight into stem cell biology and developmental processes that could extend to other organs and clinical contexts.

中文翻译：

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健康和疾病中的人体乳腺组织工程。


人类乳腺代表一个高度组织和动态的组织，其独特特征是出生后发育周期。在怀孕和哺乳期间，它经历了广泛的激素刺激结构重塑，最终形成专门的产奶结构以滋养后代。此外，由于乳腺癌的高患病率，它具有重大的健康影响。因此，深入了解乳腺的独特生物学特性可能对管理乳腺癌和促进妇女和婴儿的福祉产生影响。组织工程技术有望缩小现有乳腺模型与临床结果之间的转化差距。在这里，我们概述了乳腺组织工程的现状，概述了关键要求，以及为实现更具预测性的人类乳房模型而需要克服的挑战。我们提出了验证乳腺功能的方法，并强调了临床前应用，以提高对乳腺癌的理解和靶向性。除了乳腺生理学之外，具有代表性的人类乳腺模型还可以为干细胞生物学和发育过程提供新的见解，这些见解可以扩展到其他器官和临床环境。