A two-year-old Ohio State University spinoff’s nanofiber scaffold was used to grow a patient’s own stem cells and then implanted into the patient after his trachea was removed — in an operation that’s being billed as the world’s second successful synthetic trachea transplant.
Columbus-based Nanofiber Solutions designed and built the scaffold used in the procedure. The company’s cell culture products use polymer nanofibers to more accurately simulate the 3-D structure of human tissue.
The synthetic trachea was grown on the scaffold in a bioreactor for two days before being transplanted into the patient, according to a statement from Harvard Bioscience, which made the bioreactor.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
The surgery was performed in Stockholm, Sweden. While the operation was the second successful trachea transplant, it is the first procedure on a U.S. patient and with a U.S.-made scaffold, according to the statement.
Nanofiber Solutions was born from an entry in a business plan competition written by co-founder and then-doctoral student Jed Johnson, who was studying materials science engineering. After winning the contest and $90,000 in cash and in-kind services, Johnson teamed up with an Ohio State materials science engineering professor to begin the company.
Here’s a news report on the first trachea transplant surgery.
