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The procedure involves inserting a breast-shaped chamber under the chest skin. A blood vessel is then connected to the fat tissue allowing it to grow to fill the chamber within six to eight months.

The Melbourne-based Bernard O''Brien Institute of Microsurgery said Thursday that it hopes to develop a biodegradable chamber within 24 months, which would mean the chamber would dissolve once filled.

"We have tested it in several animal models so we have done enough testing preclinical to be confident now to take the step with human trials", said Dr Phillip Marzella, the institute''s chief operating officer.

The institute will start a prototype trial in the next three to six months They will test on about five to six women just to demonstrate that the body can regrow its own fat supply in the breast. The procedure relies on the body''s own behavior of filling internal voids, but a gel-like substance can also be injected to stimulate fat growth.

The women in the trial have had a mastectomy or partial mastectomy, but there remains a defect or asymmetry issue with their breasts. The trial will not seek to grow a whole breast, but grow fat in the defected area to prove the procedure is viable, said an Institute report on the procedure.

This procedure could offer women an alternative to traditional breast reconstruction and implants after a mastectomy and could also be used to help restore other damaged body parts.

Australia''s National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Center said the new procedure, if successful, would be in an important step forward in dealing with breast cancer.
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