Not Just a Syringe: Russia Develops Its First Controlled-delivery injector for Breast Reconstruction
The innovative device delivers biomaterials, including adipose tissue, at a controlled and consistent rate for use in reconstructive and plastic surgery.
Restoring the breast after a mastectomy is a complex procedure that requires surgeons to account for even the smallest details. When a patient's own tissue is used for reconstruction, the outcome depends not only on the volume of the graft but also on how evenly it is distributed and how quickly it is injected.
Researchers from the National University of Science and Technology MISIS (NUST MISIS), the 3D Bioprinting Solutions laboratory and the A. S. Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific Center have developed Russia's first portable controlled-delivery injector for the precise delivery of biomaterials. The device has already undergone preclinical testing.
Under the Surgeon's Control
The controlled-delivery injector is designed to be held comfortably in one hand and requires neither a power outlet nor a stand with tubing. This gives the surgeon freedom to adjust the device's angle and position during a procedure. A single charge provides up to eight hours of operation. Electronic controls and software algorithms maintain a consistent delivery rate, even when handling viscous materials. The device's working modules accommodate syringes ranging from 5 to 30 milliliters and can withstand sterilization, including cold plasma and ethylene oxide gas treatment. Importantly, this is neither a neural network nor a surgical robot. It is a dosing device that remains entirely under the surgeon's control.
Timur Aydemir, a senior researcher at NUST MISIS's Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, said one of the device's key applications is breast reconstruction following mastectomy: “When restoring the shape of a patient's breasts, surgeons can use her own adipose tissue. It needs to be injected in small amounts and distributed evenly throughout the target area. The injector allows the surgeon to set the delivery rate and maintain it throughout the procedure, improving the precision and consistency of material placement.”
The Research Behind the Development
The device builds on research conducted in parallel in Russia and abroad. In 2022, German company BellaSeno began clinical trials in Australia of 3D-printed, biodegradable breast scaffolds designed to be filled with autologous adipose tissue. In December 2023, the N. N. Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital performed a surgical procedure using a robotic bioprinting system developed by a team from NUST MISIS and 3D Bioprinting Solutions.
In 2024, the journal Plasticheskaya khirurgiya i esteticheskaya meditsina (Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine) published a study documenting 12 years of experience with breast lipofilling. The findings confirmed that Russian physicians have been familiar with the technique of injecting a patient's own fat for many years. The injector's novelty, therefore, lies primarily in the device itself. That same year, NUST MISIS and Samara State Medical University (SamSMU) presented an attachment for robotic soft-tissue bioprinting that adjusts to the patient's breathing.
In February 2025, a NUST MISIS bioprinter became commercially available through the Nasha Laba (Our Lab) platform. Russian biomedical engineering is moving beyond laboratory experiments toward devices that help surgeons address practical clinical challenges. NUST MISIS Rector Alevtina Chernikova has confirmed that materials and technologies developed by the university's researchers under the government's Prioritet 2030 (Priority 2030) program are already being used in medicine.
Putting the Device to the Test in the Operating Room
Yousef Khesuani, CEO of 3D Bioprinting Solutions, noted that autoinjectors have applications beyond reconstructive surgery. They can also be used in plastic surgery, for example, to inject liquid corrective formulations, as well as in emergency medicine, resuscitation and intensive care, where precise drug delivery is particularly important, including when administering viscous medications.
The device's value will ultimately be determined by clinical trials, which must establish that it can reliably support both physicians and patients. The cost of launching mass production will also be an important factor. These results will determine whether the compact device becomes a routine tool in the operating room.
