(c) Karolinska University Hospital
Karolinska University，Karolinska InstitutetのPaolo Macchiarini教授
組織工学で作成された気管の移植が，史上初めて成功した。この気管は，ナノ複合材料でできた骨組みに患者の幹細胞を植え付けたものだ。ドナーの気管に患者の幹細胞を植え付けた気管は，以前移植されたが，人工的な骨組みの使用は初めて。36歳の男性患者は癌の進行で気管がほぼ完全に閉塞していたが，これまで移植に適切なドナーの気管がなかった。今回の移植では患者の細胞だけが使われたため拒絶反応は起こっておらず，免疫抑制薬も使われていない。ドナーからの気管を入手しにくい小児患者に特に有用な方法と考えられる。（吉田素子）
First Successful Transplantation of a Synthetic Tissue Engineered Windpipe
For the first time in history, a patient has been given a new trachea made from a synthetic scaffold seeded with his own stem cells. The patient, a 36-year old man, is well on the way to full recovery and will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. The operation was performed on June 9th 2011 at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Stockholm, by Professor Paolo Macchiarini, of Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, and colleagues.
Professor Macchiarini led an international team including professor Alexander Seifalian from UCL (University College London, UK) who designed and built the nanocomposite tracheal scaffold and Harvard Bioscience (Boston, USA) who produced a specifically designed bioreactor used to seed the scaffold with the patient´s own stem cells. The cells were grown on the scaffold inside the bioreactor for two days before transplantation to the patient. Because the cells used to regenerate the trachea were the patient’s own, there has been no rejection of the transplant and the patient is not taking immunosuppressive drugs.
The patient had been suffering from late stage tracheal cancer. Despite maximum treatment with radiation therapy, the tumor had reached approximately 6 cm in length and was extending to the main bronchus. It was progressing and almost completely blocked the trachea. Since no suitable donor windpipe was available, the transplantation of the synthetic tissue engineered trachea was performed as the last possible option for the patient, referred by Professor Tomas Gudbjartsson of Landspitali University Hospital (Iceland) who was also part of the surgical team.
［単語和訳］
Transplantation：移植 Synthetic：人工の Tissue Engineered：組織工学で作られた Windpipe：気管
trachea：気管 scaffold：骨格 seeded with：～を植えつけられた stem cells：幹細胞 well on the way to：～に向かっている be discharged：退院する colleagues：同僚
nanocomposite：ナノ複合材料 tracheal：気管の specifically：特別に bioreactor：バイオリアクター（生体触媒を用いた生化学反応装置） regenerate：～を再生する rejection：拒絶反応 transplant：移植片 immunosuppressive drugs：免疫抑制薬
late stage：後期の cancer：癌 radiation therapy：放射線治療 tumor：腫瘍 approximately：約 main bronchus：主気管支 was progressing：進行していた donor：ドナー（提供者）の surgical：手術の
