A woman has been given a new section of windpipe created from her own stem cells in an operation that could revolutionise surgery. Claudia Castillo, 30, who lives in Barcelona, has become the first person to be given a whole organ tailor-made for her in laboratories across Europe. A graft from a donor was used, but because it has been imbued with Ms Castillo's own cells, there is no sign that her body will reject the organ. Related Links Possibly a genuine breakthrough Multimedia GRAPHIC: replacing the bronchus Researchers and surgeons from Britain, Italy and Spain collaborated to grow tissue from Ms Castillo's own bone marrow stem cells, using them to fashion the new bronchus - a branch of the windpipe. They believe that one day the approach will be used to create engineered replacements for other damaged organs, such as the bowel or bladder. In five years they hope to begin clinical trials in which laboratory-made voice boxes are implanted into patients with cancer of the larynx. Martin Birchall, of the University of Bristol, a British member of the team, said: "This is the first time a tissue-engineered whole organ has been transplanted into a patient. I reckon in 20 years' time it will be the commonest operation - it will transform the way we think about surgery."
A woman has been given a new section of windpipe created from her own stem cells in an operation that could revolutionise surgery.
Claudia Castillo, 30, who lives in Barcelona, has become the first person to be given a whole organ tailor-made for her in laboratories across Europe.
A graft from a donor was used, but because it has been imbued with Ms Castillo's own cells, there is no sign that her body will reject the organ. Related Links
Researchers and surgeons from Britain, Italy and Spain collaborated to grow tissue from Ms Castillo's own bone marrow stem cells, using them to fashion the new bronchus - a branch of the windpipe. They believe that one day the approach will be used to create engineered replacements for other damaged organs, such as the bowel or bladder. In five years they hope to begin clinical trials in which laboratory-made voice boxes are implanted into patients with cancer of the larynx.
Martin Birchall, of the University of Bristol, a British member of the team, said: "This is the first time a tissue-engineered whole organ has been transplanted into a patient. I reckon in 20 years' time it will be the commonest operation - it will transform the way we think about surgery."
