人类乳腺是一个高度组织化和动态的组织，具有出生后发育周期的独特特征。在怀孕和哺乳期间，它经历了广泛的激素刺激的结构重塑，最终形成专门的结构，用于产奶以滋养后代。此外，由于乳腺癌的高发病率，它还对健康产生重大影响。因此，深入了解乳腺的独特生物学对于控制乳腺癌和促进妇女和婴儿的福祉具有重要意义。组织工程技术有望缩小现有乳房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当前前景，概述了关键要求以及实现更具预测性的人类乳腺模型需要克服的挑战。我们提出了验证乳腺功能的方法，并强调临床前应用，以增进对乳腺癌的了解和靶向治疗。除了乳腺生理学之外，代表性的人类乳腺模型还可以提供对干细胞生物学和发育过程的新见解，并可以扩展到其他器官和临床环境。© 2024。作者。

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.© 2024. The Author(s).