Stem cells have been always been regarded as stepping on the line of ethics, but those were the times when everything was done with embryonic stem cells. Recently, an organ transplant, using stem cells taken from the donor, was performed successfully, possibly opening a door to a new age in medicine. The patient, Claudia Castillo, was in need of a segment of trachea, as severe tuberculosis damaged her own.

 Castillo was not able to walk even a few steps without gasping for air and the best solution was, of course, a transplant. Doctors took a segment of trachea from a 51 year old donor who died of cerebral hemorrhage, stripped it from its donor’s cells and colonized it with stem cells from Claudia Castillo.

After four days, the graft was ready for transplant and the operation went without any incidents. After four days passed after the operation, the graft was almost indistinguishable from adjacent normal bronchi and after two months, Castillo’s lungs seem as the ones in a young woman.

The lung function tests clearly showed that the organs recovered almost completely, thus showing the great potential of this surgical technique. Doctors believe that this new approach to surgical care might just lead medicine in a whole new era.

Doctors are also very excited as the stem cell technique doesn’t cross the line of ethics anymore, as the cells are gathered from the patient. This great medical event puts even more focus on the belief that president-elect Barack Obama will reverse the Bush Administration research on stem cells.