Organs From Thin Air (Almost)

I think that it’s sad when people continually get wrapped up in labels.

For instance: People look at me as a “Chiropractor” and automatically assume things. Many assume that I chose this path out of a disdain for “Medicine”. It was quite the contrary, I chose this field because I felt Chiropractic was on the edge of being the “New Frontier” in the health community and I wanted to help pave the way.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t sit in awe of what the traditional medical community is accomplishing on some days. Today is one of those days.

Today I want to tell you about something that blew me away when I read it. This is a story about “Stem Cells”. Now don’t get to caught up in whatever preconceived notions you may have about the Stem Cell “label”. I am talking about the use of “Adult Stem Cells” to do something amazing.

This is a story of hope through science.

Claudia Castillo, a mother of two from Barcelona, was diagnosed with TB in 2004. By March of this year the TB had worked to deteriorate the connection between her windpipe and one of her lungs. In 4 short years, Claudia had become bedridden and was unable to do the simplest task, let alone take care of her kids.

Claudia was facing a bleak choice. She would either have her lung removed and be almost useless to care for herself or she would have to try a new procedure which made us of adult stem cells to “grow” her a new airway.

The plan for the  “Stem Cell” Procedure went something like this:

1. Part of a “windpipe” (Trachea) from a 51 year old woman who had died from a brain aneurysm will be used (it can’t be transplanted in whole because the Claudia’s immune system will reject it).

2. The donor tissue will instead go through a “Washing” Procedure which discards the donor cells leaving only a collagen “scaffolding”.

3. Stem Cells will be taken from Claudia’s bone marrow and sent with the donor “scaffold” to a lab in Milan.

4. The stem cells will be put in a special machine in the Milan lab (built specifically for the purpose) and prompted to grow around the donor scaffolding. (The stem cells should take on the characteristics of a trachea and be usable by Claudia’s body)

5. They would graft the new material in place of Claudia’s damaged tissue.

Claudia weighed the risk of the procedure and decided to give it a shot.

In June of 2008,  Professor Paolo Macchiarini of Barcelona University, performed the procedure. The operation was initially a success, but doctors wanted to weigh the long term success of the procedure.

Claudia is currently able to care for her children, walk up two flights of stairs, and walk up to 500 yards without stopping. Her body is showing now signs of rejecting the transplant and, most importantly, she has a new shot at life.

I shudder to think what would have happened to Claudia and her kids had the operation not been successful.

Stem cell research, while riddled with ethical and scientific questions is starting to show us real promise. I can’t wait to see what we can do with it in the next five years. With adequate research and ethical safeguards, there is no telling what we can accomplish.

-Dr. Ben

Tags: claudia castillo, stem cells, trachea operation