It is being called a medical breakthrough and it offers great promise to patients suffering from serious
illnesses. Only a handful of windpipe or trachea transplants have ever been performed. But this is the
first to use a lab-grown airway. Claudia Castillo suffered from tuberculosis for years. Then in March
she sufferd a serious lung collapse. Initially, doctor thought the only solution was a risky surgery
to remove entire left lung.
But a team of surgeons propsed a windpipe transplant with stem cells instead. Once doctor had a donor
windpipe, it was stripped of all its cells. Then doctors took a sample of Castillo's bone marrow from her
hip. Stem cells from the bone marrow were then used to creat millions of cartilage and tissue cells to
cover and line the windpipe. Doctors were then able to perform the transplant.
Since the surgery in June, Castillo hasn't shown any signs of rejection. And she is not taking any
immune-suppressing drugs, which can cause serious side effect. She is now able to take care of her two
children and can even walk reasonable distances without becoming out of the breath. And doctors are
hopeful that one day the technique can be used for other organs like the bowel, bladder or reproductive
tract.
Sandy Kozel, The Associated Press
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* breakthrough : (문제 해결의)돌파, 돌파구, 대성공, 개가, (난관의)타개
* a handfoul of : 한 움큼, 한 손 가득, 한 줌[of], (a ~) 소량, 소수[of]
* windpipe : 기관, 숨통
* trachea : 기관
* lab-grown : 실험실에서 배양된(lab=laboratory)
* airway : 항공로, 여기서는 기도의 의미
* tuberculosis : 폐결핵
* lung : 폐, 허파
* collapse : [의학] <폐 등이> (산소 부족으로) 허탈(虛脫)하다
* donor : 기증자, [의학] (장기 등의) 제공자, 제공자의
* strip : 제거하다
* bone marrow :골수
* cartilage : 연골, 연골 조직
* tissue : 조직
* immune-suppressing drug : 면역억제제
* bowel 창자
* bladder 방광
* reproductive tract : 생식관
: reprocutive - 생식의
: tract - [해부] 관
