Big step forward for medical science. In fact, the first was recently implanted esophagus artificial in a human being. The design and surgery, performed in the USA, bear the signature of two Italian researchers: Fabio Triolo e Xavier LaFrancesca. And thanks to them in the future it will be possible to treat certain pathologies in a safer and more effective way.
The first bio-artificial esophagus
Through a combination of stem cells and a synthetic matrix, the first has been created in recent weeks bio-artificial esophagus. The organ, built in Houston by a team led by Triolo, was then delivered to La Francesca, a cardiac surgeon, who performed the operation. To benefit from this invention was a American patient 75-year-old who has been fighting a violent tumor for years. The disease had now spread to various organs, including the esophagus. In these cases, doctors usually use del fabric originating from the patient's stomach or intestines. However, this solution presents various complications in the long run. With an artificial apparatus, on the other hand, the risks are they reduce to a minimum. And thanks to the cells of this implant, the regeneration of healthy tissues has already begun. In a few months the artificial esophagus will therefore be removed, giving way to the one reconstructed by the patient's own body.
From the genius of two Italian researchers
But who is behind all this? Two Italian researchers who have lived and worked in the USA for years. Fabio Triolo is the director of the Cellular Therapy Unit of UTHealth of Houston, but his career began in the corridors of Sicilian hospitals. He also worked at theISMETT of Palermo where he founded the unit of regenerative medicine and cell therapies. Unfortunately, due to the limited opportunities his land offered, he moved with his family to the United States years ago. Here he managed to establish himself, leading a team of doctors in the construction of artificial implants. Similar path also for Saverio La Francesca, former professor of Cardiac surgery at the Sapienza University of Rome and currently president of the Bio days, an American company that has been looking for new technologies to be applied in the medical field for years.
