Synthetic Trachea

2011-2013

The surgeon Paolo Macchiarini pioneered a new regenerative surgery using a synthetic trachea (windpipe) seeded with the patient’s own stem cells. Macchiarini became a superstar surgeon and the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden got global attention. But it all ended in tragedy when the revolutionary technology failed and caused enormous suffering to all his dying patients.

Management at Karolinska refused to listen to any concerns about this new, exciting technology and grossly neglected the necessary research and animal testing that is required before new procedures are tested on humans. Macchiarini was convicted of research fraud. The scandal cost many people their lives and seriously damaged confidence in Swedish clinical research.

Macchiarini was in 2023 sentenced to prison.

Additional info:

Vanityfair - Excellent long-read article: The celebrity surgeon who used love, money, and the Pope to scam

bbc.com - Paolo Macchiarini: A surgeon’s downfall