Russia is usually the land of insane politicians and bears. But every now and then it achieves something brilliant, like this.
The first synthetic larynx has been transplanted. It was built by seeding the patient’s own stem cells, taken from bone marrow, over a scaffolding.
True, it’s the easiest part of the larynx to transplant that was grown: The cricroid arch and plate.
But, as the surgical team has pointed out, this marks the start of growing our own organs for transplants instead of harvesting them from each other.
It also marks the beginning of the end of seeing those people smoke through holes in their throats, so, you know, that’s a public service as well.
image courtesy Harvard Bioscience