The first successful transplant of a human windpipe using the patient’s own stem cells has occurred, and we should credit repair of the afflicted to medical science.
“A new age in surgical care“
Doctors from four separate European universities performed the surgery this past June on Claudia Castillo in Barcelona, Spain. Ms. Castillo had been suffering from an acute shortage of breath due to a failing airway following severe tuberculosis. She had been hospitalized in March with a windpipe so badly damaged that she could walk no more than a few steps at a time.
The struggle to draw breath was too great
According to Bristol University, one of the places that assisted in the weeks of preparation for Ms. Castillo’s surgery in Barcelona:
The only conventional option remaining was a major operation to remove her left lung which carries a risk of complications and a high mortality rate
The windpipe itself came from a donor. A three-inch segment of trachea was taken from a 51-year-old who had died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Using a new technique developed at Padua University, the trachea was stripped of its donor’s cells so that they would not interfere with the transplant process.
At the same time, Castillo’s stem cells were taken from her own bone marrow, grown into “a large population” and used to “seed” the donated windpipe using a new technique to incubate cells.
Seems to me that donors like Ms. Castillo’s are a tribute to us all, an individual more than willing to help repair credit against the ills of the human race.
Her body did not reject it
It is not uncommon for organ rejection to occur after a transplant. This is because the recipient’s immune system reacts against the foreign organ. Thus, transplant patients must typically rely upon immunosuppressant drugs to stop this from happening.
And she didn’t need transplant drugs
According to a Bristol University statement, Castillo has not developed antibodies to her graft, despite not taking immunosuppressive drugs.
So this is exciting news, based not only upon the fact that Castillo hasn’t needed potentially debilitating medication in order to function, but that her surgery was performed with the essential assistance of her own stem cells.
It has been speculated that President-elect Barack Obama may reverse the Bush Administration’s restrictions on stem cell research. Anthony Hollander, a professor at Bristol University, said ethical concerns relating to embryonic stem cell research had not surfaced because Castillo’s surgery used only her own stem cells.
“This was not embryonic stem cell research”
What was it? It’s something some would call a miracle, others a fantastic medical breakthrough that will expand the boundaries of what we know. I call it a necessary step toward saving lives, rather than committing them to the dustbin of lost hope.
Several months after Ms. Castillo’s surgery, it appears that there will be no transplant rejection. She has the chance to live a life of quality. What value can be placed on such a thing? It is my sincere hope that Mr. Obama is able to take stem cell research out of the realm of “morality” and bring America back from the Dark Ages. Credit repair of individuals like Claudia Castillo to medical science and the miracle that is the human mind. Give credit where credit is due.
I think anything used to help the human race or environment should never be “outlawed” or restricted. There is so much we are learning about ourselves and our planet that if we discover anything to our benefit why stop there?! Respiratory issues are very common and this part of stem cell research, may have just made breathing a little more easier.