http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/07/08/synthetic_organ_transplant_doctors_pull_of_world_s_first_synthet.html?from=rss/&wpisrc=newsletter_slatest Surgeons Perform World's First Synthetic Organ Transplant Scientists craft an artificial windpipe from the patient's own stem cells. By Stephen Spencer Davis | Posted Friday, Jul. 8, 2011, at 10:56 AM EDT
Surgeons in Sweden performed the world's first synthetic organ transplant, using an artificial windpipe coated in the recipient's own stem cells. Because the artificial organ was produced from the patient's own cells, there is believed to be no possibility of the donation being rejected. And perhaps most significantly, this marks the world's first organ donation that doesn't actually require a donor. Paolo Macchiarini of Italy led the 12-hour surgery. Macchiarini, who had already performed 10 other windpipe transplants, laid out the implications of the groundbreaking procedure for the BBC: "The beauty of this is you can have it immediately. There is no delay. This technique does not rely on a human donation," he said. The landmark procedure was the culmination of a lengthy process that began when scientists in London used 3D images to design an exact replica of the patient's windpipe. The model was then flown to Sweden, where it was soaked in a solution of the patient's stem cells, the BBC reports. It took two days for the patient's tissue to seed into the millions of holes in the porous windpipe model. The resulting structure was then used to create a replacement for the patient. The BBC details the surgery: "The bone marrow cells and lining cells taken from his nose, which were also implanted during the operation, were able to divide and grow, turning the inert windpipe scaffold into an organ indistinguishable from a normal healthy one." The BBC also reports that Macchiarini "now hopes to use the technique to treat a nine-month-old child in Korea who was born with a malformed windpipe or trachea." Macchiarini also said that many other organs could be replaced through similar procedures. As the Guardian points out: the new procedure could have particularly strong implications for young patients, as donor tracheas for children are generally difficult to find. The BBC says the patient, Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, "is still looking weak, but well." Without the surgery, a golf-ball sized tumor in Beyene's windpipe would have killed him. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
