Lab-made organ implanted for first time

[n2doc]

By Madison Park, CNN
July 7, 2011 2:15 p.m. EDT

CNN) -- For the first time, a patient has received a synthetic windpipe that was created in a lab with the patient's own stem cells and without using human donor tissue, researchers said Thursday.

Previous lab-generated transplants either used a segment of donor windpipe or involved tissue only, not an organ.

In a laboratory in London, scientists created a trachea, which is a tube-like airway that connects at the voice box and branches into both lungs.

On June 9, doctors implanted this synthetic windpipe into a 36-year-old man with late-stage tracheal cancer at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. The patient is doing well and is expected to be released from the hospital Friday, said Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, professor of regenerative medicine there.

Tracheal cancers are extremely rare, accounting for less than 1% of all cancers.

more

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/07/trachea.transplant/index.html

[bemildred]

1. That's very cool.

It demonstrates a certain level of control.

[Warpy]

2. Socialized medicine, free of the constraint of profit

is often able to develop breakthough procedures earlier than we do. In addition, they don't have a bunch of pulpit pounders riling stupid people up against scientific investigation and advance.

[MADem]

4. Nonsense--the NHS had nothing to do with this. It was an international consortium

that included participants from Harvard Bioscience, which is a heavily-invested outfit: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707145620.htm

Professor Macchiarini led an international team including professor Alexander Seifalian from UCL (University College London, UK) who designed and built the nanocomposite tracheal scaffold and Harvard Bioscience (Boston, USA) who produced a specifically designed bioreactor used to seed the scaffold with the patient´s own stem cells. The cells were grown on the scaffold inside the bioreactor for two days before transplantation to the patient. Because the cells used to regenerate the trachea were the patient's own, there has been no rejection of the transplant and the patient is not taking immunosuppressive drugs.

Read all about HARVARD BIOSCIENCE here--they're not a charity: http://www.harvardbioscience.com/

[Warpy]

5. However, it has a great deal to do with why it was developed there

and not here. Even teaching hospitals are facing constraints they never had to face years ago, constraints that stifle innovation.

Plus we still have the pulpit pounders to deal with.

[MADem]

6. Harvard Biomedics had to separate their research owing to the

federal Bush restrictions. That's why a lot of people ended up in London, where there was research and stem cell lines a plenty, and California, where Ahhhnuld did the one good thing and did some state funding of stem cell research.

But that research in London had absolutely NOTHING to do with the NHS. They're so behind the times it's not funny. I won't even go into waiting lists, what's worse is how they deal with treatable conditions. Example: Chidren with cerebral palsy by the dozens are coming to the US, to St. Louis of all places, to have a nerosurgical procedure to reduce spasticity and enable them to walk after being confined to wheelchairs and crutches and walkers. The families have to raise about 30K pounds to cover the operation and aftercare, and NHS refused to help, calling the operation "experimental" (they've done thousands over the past two or more decades; no complications to speak of--it's a computer-aided process and it works).

Now, after a couple of tough mothers refused to take NO for an answer, they're finally starting to do the operation in the "Park" method (which is a small incision and very selective). However, only one doctor is trained at one hospital and thousands of kids could benefit from the procedure, which takes a few hours to do. So, for the forseeable future, if you want to meet nice British folks, go to Children's Hospital in St. Louis--you'll find them lined up by the dozens with their "crippled and spastic" kids, looking for, and getting, help--but paying for it, often through donations.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13817748

[dhill926]

3. incredible.....

can a synthetic esophagus be next, or is that beyond the realm of possibility? Cancer there, does affect quite a few folks........

[Kennah]

7. I misread the subject

I though it said "Lab-made orgasm implanted for first time", and I wanted to volunteer to be the second.