Guest guest Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 International Edition | MEMBER SERVICES The Web CNN.com Home Page World U.S. Weather Business Sports Politics Law Technology Science & Space Health Entertainment Travel Education Special Reports Autos SERVICES Video E-mail Newsletters Your E-mail Alerts RSS CNNtoGO TV Commercials Contact Us SEARCH Web CNN.com New breast implant set for trials Silicone implants were taken off the U.S. market in 1993. VOTE What has been the most significant invention or discovery of the past 50 years? VOTE NOW NEXT GENERATION The atomic clock gets a mini-makeover A chip implanted in the brain offers hope for the paralyzed Designers create a super computer for the drugs industry A German brewmaster comes up with a novel way to make beer The allergen-free cat for pet lovers prone to allergies Australian team designs car that can read road signs • Read more Next Generation stories SPECIAL REPORT Find out how technology, science and invention are shaping your world with Explorers (CNN) -- A British firm has announced plans to develop breast implants using a synthetic biomaterial which it claims will make them safer and feel more natural. ish-based AorTech said on Friday they were preparing to begin clinical trials of their "next generation" Elast-Eon implants following a recent meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "The take-away from the meeting is we're on the right track," AorTech chief executive Maguire told Reuters. "It makes all the sense in the world to move ahead and take it to the stage where we're ready for clinical trials. This is the next generation." Elast-Eon was designed at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Melbourne, Australia, as a biostable material for use in life-critical medical devices such cardiovascular implants. But AorTech said it hoped Elast-Eon would help them break into a global market in breast implants estimated to be worth $600 million a year. Tear-resistant, flexible and blood-compatible, the material offers a more durable and resilient alternative to silicone or silicone gel. Silicone implants, which were first developed in the 1960s, were taken off the market in the U.S. in 1993 due to concerns over their safety. Critics claim silicone often leaks from the gel-filled devices, causing cancer and neurological diseases. As a result more than 90 percent of the U.S. market now uses saline-filled implants. To prevent leaching and rupturing, breast implants have become increasingly firm, while trials with peanut oil and soy-bean oil have failed to produce a satisfactory alternative. In January the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a manufacturer's request to restore silicone breast implants to the market. "Now they're too firm," said Maguire. "And saline implants are like bags of water. "Elast-Eon is a very clean material that is free of the silicone oil that has been leaching out of gel-filled devices for the past 20 to 30 years. And we can move back into the softer range that more naturally simulates breast tissue." AorTech said Elast-Eon was also more compatible with imaging technology used in tumor screening. Earlier this year the Journal of the American Medical Association published research which claimed that breast implants made it harder for doctors to interpret mammograms. Story Tools Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! Building the world's most powerful laser • CNN/Money: Report: Computer degrees losing appeal• Marketers take a shine to blogs• Review: Rewrite history with PC sequels 'Hopelessness turned to hope' when girl moved • Party celebrating assassination survival bombed• Poll: Bush approval mark nears low• Social worker bolsters 's defense International Edition Languages --------- Arabic German Japanese Korean Turkish CNN TV CNN International Headline News Transcripts Advertise With Us About Us SEARCH The Web CNN.com © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.A Time Warner Company. .Terms under which this service is provided to you.Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. All external sites will open in a new browser.CNN.com does not endorse external sites. Denotes premium content. Add RSS headlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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