Originally published in The Nano Newswire
Doctors in Sweden have implanted a permanent artificial trachea, or windpipe, into a 36-year old man. What's remarkable, is that the windpipe was made using nanocomposite materials that were developed and patented by Professor Alexander Seifalian at the University College of London.
Working with Professor Paolo Macchiarini at the Karolinska Institute, they designed the windpipe using a unique material known as a novel nanocomposite polymer. "A nanocomposite is a material containing some components that are less than 100 nanometers (nm) in size. . . . A polymer is a repeating chain of small, identical molecules (called monomers) which are linked together." To make the artificial trachea, the doctors began by creating a mold modeled on the patient's actual windpipe. Once the mold was complete, they incorporated the patient's stem cells, and the trachea was grown in a bioreactor.
What makes these polymers different from those already used in medical devices, is that novel polymers have "better elasticity, strength and versatility and are formulated to encourage cell growth." "What makes this procedure different is it's the first time that a wholly tissue engineered synthetic windpipe has been made and successfully transplanted, making it an important milestone for regenerative medicine," stated Professor Seifalian. Professor Macchiarini hailed that "thanks to nanotechnology, this new branch of regenerative medicine, we are now able to produce a custom-made windpipe within two days or one week."
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