This seems like it should be huge news, but I actually had to dig a bit to find details on this story. It seems to be quite widely reported in the UK, but not so much in the US…

Claudia Castillo gets windpipe tailor-made from her own stem cells

A woman has been given a new section of windpipe created from her own stem cells in an operation that could revolutionise surgery.

Claudia Castillo, 30, who lives in Barcelona, has become the first person to be given a whole organ tailor-made for her in laboratories across Europe.

A graft from a donor was used, but because it has been imbued with Ms Castillo’s own cells, there is no sign that her body will reject the organ.

via Claudia Castillo gets windpipe tailor-made from her own stem cells – Times Online

Here’s a thumbnail of a PDF illustration from Times Online on how the procedure was performed:

And here are some related links:

• BBC News: ‘I was scared, but it went well’
• Telegraph.co.uk: Transplant of windpipe grown from stem cells heralds new era in medicine
• theAge.com.au:Transplant using trachea grown from patient’s own stem cells a world first
• guardian.co.uk: ‘My unique chance’: How Claudia Castillo’s landmark operation changed her life
• Fareastgizmos.com: Claudia Castillo is the first person in the world to undergo a whole organ transplant grown from her own stem cells