The world's first windpipe transplantation using stem cells performed by European doctors in Barcelona, Spain has been successful, heralding a new era of stem cell research. The results of this medical breakthrough were published in the online version of the medical journal The Lancet on Wednesday.
The transplant operation was carried out on a thirty-year-old Colombian woman Claudia Castillo Sanchez, whose windpipe was severely damaged due to tuberculosis.
The live tissues on the donor windpipe taken from a 51-year old man, who had died, were removed and coated with the recipient's own stem cells taken from her hip bone to avoid rejection of the donated organ. According to The Lancet, the patient was discharged from the hospital 10 days after the transplantation and she did not need any anti-rejection drugs. Anti-rejection drugs, also called as immunosuppressant drugs are used to prevent the body from rejecting a transplanted organ.
The transplant operation was conducted in June and the recipient has been able to lead a normal life, according to the study results.
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