Artificial trachea from stem cells in cancer

Artificial trachea from stem cells helps cancer patients

11/24/2011

A 36-year-old Eritrean had suffered from a severe and rare form of tracheal cancer. Using the body's own stem cells, an artificial trachea was created and successfully used by the man.

Success in transplantation of artificial trachea
The surgeons of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm managed to give the man an almost normal life. Previously, he had suffered from a malignant tumor in the esophagus, which continued to grow despite intensive radiation therapy and blocked the trachea. A tracheotomy would have been his only hope. However, there is an acute shortage of donor organs in this area. There was no suitable organ available.

The doctors therefore decided to produce an artificial trachea from the Eritrea's own stem cells. For this purpose, a synthetic framework was built, which was then equipped with stem cells. After 36 hours in a special bioreactor, the artificial trachea was ready for transplantation. In a 12-hour operation, the tumor was first removed and then the new trachea successfully inserted. This was the first time in the history of medicine.

The body's own stem cells prevent rejection
The use of endogenous stem cells has the advantage that the new organ is usually not rejected by the immune system. Previously, the British-Swedish research team, headed by Paolo Macchiarini, had already transplanted other patients' tracheaes from dead donors who had previously been colonized with endogenous stem cells after the donor cells had been removed. Researchers foresee great opportunities in this new method of tissue engineering, especially for young patients in childhood.

In the trade magazine „The Lancet“ The researchers report that in the meantime another patient has successfully transplanted an artificial trachea with autologous stem cells. In the case of the second patient, a US American, the process of making the scaffold of the artificial trachea from special nanofibers was further refined.

Harald Ott of Massachusetts General Hospital and Douglas Mathisen of Harvard Medical School commented in an accompanying note „The Lancet“ to bear in mind that only in the long term would it have to become clear whether the tailor-made implants really have great prospects of success. Only then could this method be widely used.

Stem cells are versatile
Stem cells are endogenous cells that can develop into different cell and tissue types. While embryonic stem cells are able to differentiate into each tissue, adult stem cells are always committed to a particular tissue type.

The treatment with autologous stem cells has a permanent place in medicine today. It is used, for example, in cancer therapy and in the treatment of heart disease. Researchers worldwide see a great potential but at the same time there is still a lot of research needed in the field of stem cell therapy.

New trachea of ​​skin tissue and cartilage
Another method for producing artificial tracheas was presented by a medical team led by surgeons Philippe Dartevelle and Frédéric Kolb at the Surgical Center Marie Lannelongue in Le Plessis Robinson last year. They succeeded in forming new trachea in cancer patients from skin tissue and cartilage. The transplants could be used to rebuild the trachea. (Ag)

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New trachea of ​​skin and cartilage