Transplant of world’s first man- made organ

Saturday, 9 July 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Surgeons have carried out the world’s first transplant of a fully synthetic organ - a windpipe created using the patient’s stem cells and an artificial “scaffold”.

A 36-year-old cancer patient received the organ a month ago at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.

The process involved scientists at University College London, who were given three-dimensional scans of the windpipe of Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, a geology student from Eritrea with an inoperable, cancerous tumour that was obstructing his breathing.

They created a glass mould of the windpipe and his two main bronchial tubes, which was then coated in a polymer containing millions of tiny holes.

It was flown to Sweden where it was “seeded” with stem cells from Mr Beyene’s bone marrow and placed in a bioreactor for two days to allow the cells to take root. Further cells were taken from his nose to line the windpipe.

Prof Paolo Macchiarini, a Spanish surgeon, carried out the 12-hour transplant operation. He praised the construction technique, which meant that “custom-made” windpipes could be produced within a week.

“This technique does not rely on a human donation,” he said.

Beyene was said to be doing well. (www.telegraph.co.uk)

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.