An alarmingly wide gap has grown between what we expect from stem cells and what they deliver. Your tax-deductible contribution plays a critical role in sustaining this effort. A Swedish filmmakers investigative documentary raised further questions, as did a Vanity Fair article detailing how the beguiling surgeon became romantically involved with an NBC producer working on a feature about him and apparently conned her into believing he was divorced and would marry her in a ceremony officiated by the pope and attended by the Clintons, Obamas, John Legend and Elton John. Benita Alexander on attending Paolo Macchiarinis criminal trial in Sweden Alexander said she attended Macchiarini's trial for closure, seven years after she was Donald Trump There was another reason to be daunted too: historical assumptions that tracheas werent transplantable. Claudia Castillo with Dr Paolo Macchiarini. Paolo then came across Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, a man from Eritrea who was training to be a doctor when he got diagnosed with cancer. KI officials let him do this. No one wanted to collaborate with me. Colleagues accused him of manipulating his results, even warning of the harm caused by these so-called regenerative windpipes. Thats what our experience of medical research leads us to suspect. This was the start of a whirlwind romance that included five-star hotels, travel to far-flung locations, and extravagant shopping sprees. All rights reserved. Award-winning documentary-maker Benita Alexander was swept off her feet by renowned Italian doctor Paolo Macchiarini in 2013 while she was working on a story about his pioneering medical work. I Googled trachea transplant and Dr. Genden popped up. Thousands of people in the United States alone develop trachea problems each year from burns, birth defects, tumors and extended intubation on ventilators. When you implant a synthetic trachea you have one certainty, and that is that the patient will die as a result of it, Delaere says in the email. WebPaolo Macchiarini (born 22 August 1958): 2 is a Swiss-born Italian thoracic surgeon and former regenerative medicine researcher who became known for research fraud and If she talked for over five minutes, she had to stop because I couldnt breathe.. The first person to receive one of these was Andemariam Beyene, an Eritrean doctoral student in geology at the University of Iceland. The other patients were treated at hospitals in Barcelona, Florence, London, Moscow, Krasnodar, Chicago and Peoria. 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Ciaran Lynch, born in 2000 in Ireland without a functional trachea, received a transplant on March 15, 2010, at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. His operation was on June 9, 2011, at the Karolinska University Hospital, where he received the upgraded plastic trachea made at University College London. The official report into the matter dubbed this the bandwagon effect. At the time, Macchiarini was working at Swedens Karolinska Institute, which awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine every year. But on Thursday, the surgeon, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, was found criminally liable by a Swedish court for causing felony bodily injury to a patient he had fitted with one of the windpipes at a medical university in Sweden. The pope, the palace, the world leaders, the famous tenor they were all fantasies. Few people at Karolinska, especially among those in power, knew enough about it to appreciate Delaeres claims. Watch He Lied About Everything on ID GO now! But, we now know that the success of this operation was a lie, and the complications she suffered because of it were kept under wraps for a really long time. So far he has not been prosecuted in any of those countries. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Virginia Paolo dropped another bomb when he told Benita that, despite the fact that both of them had been divorced, Pope Francis would officiate at their wedding. This set a dangerous example. Michigan She spent more than three years in intensive care and endured 200 surgical procedures, theTimes reports. The vice-chancellor, Anders Hamsten, resigned. "Maybe it happened because I am a journalist, and once I sort of woke up and put my journalist hat back on, I could expose him," she said. Four of Macchiarinis colleagues at KI, including Corbascio, filed official complaints in 2014 charging that several papers describing the surgeries deliberately left out serious complications in the patients. Los Angeles Its a problematic idea with unfortunate side effects. This organ was prepared without the knowledge of authorities in a veterinary lab at the University of Bristol, but no one questioned it because of its initial success. But as time went on, she could not resist her connection to the dashing surgeon and she violated the number one rule of journalism: Never get involved with a person you're reporting on. COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) Swedish prosecutors on Wednesday appealed a sentence given to an Italian surgeon who was put on trial for causing bodily harm during experimental stem-cell windpipe transplants on three patients who died. A 19-year-old Iowa college student allegedly defrauded over 400 donors after raising more than $37,000 by faking a triple cancer diagnosis. He took the medical world by storm when he built and transplanted the worlds first bioartificial windpipe two years earlier. Delaeres damning criticisms appeared in major medical journals, including the Lancet, but werent taken seriously by Karolinskas leadership. Chief judge Bjoern Skaensberg said the court agreed that Macchiarinis operations were not consistent with science and proven experience, but the court determined that two of the interventions were justifiable.. Paolo Macchiarini traveled to Illinois to operate on toddler Hannah Warren, who was born without a trachea in 2013. Then, in October of 2009, another woman, who had been operated on by Paolo twice before, received her airway transplant. I didnt want the fairy tale to end., Alexander also hired a private investigator, a former Pennsylvania State Police detective named Frank Murphy. In their view, Macchiarini was certainly engaged in clinical research. They will especially examine the judges decision that Macchiarini couldnt be held responsible for what happened to Andemariam and Lyles because he acted in distress, according to the courts statement. A few years ago, Japans Haruko Obokata pulled a similar con when she announced to the world a new and simple and fake method of turning ordinary body cells into stem cells. There was another woman from the Czech Republic with mucoepidermoid carcinoma who received such a transplant. Some answers have emerged from the official inquiries into the Karolinska Institute and the Karolinska University hospital. According to a witness report, Paolo operated on a 45-50-year-old woman of Middle Eastern origin in a private clinic in Barcelona in the fall of 2008. It showed department heads and colleagues that they should give Macchiarini special treatment.He could do pretty much as he pleased. But it was already too late. He reportedly lied on his CV and research papers to trick patients, causing almost all those who received his inventive trachea transplants (using their own bone marrow cells for organ functionality) to lose their lives. Georgia Macchiarini was fired in 2016 amid allegations of fraud and scientific misconduct after many of his transplant recipients died. Recently, Ms. Sein, covering the hole with her hand to speak, enthused about having the energy to cook sesame chicken for the first time and how she aims to visit relatives in Puerto Rico. Benita said that, if she can take any lessons away from what happened to her, she hopes that her experience will help others. In September 2020, Swedish prosecutors announced charges against him for aggravated assault in connection to three surgeries that he had performed at the. After Macchiarini fitted Cetir with one of his artificial windpipes in 2012, her condition worsened. The media began calling him "Dr. Frankenstein" and said that he committed "the world's biggest medical fraud.". Macchiarini, they claimed, wasnt really doing clinical research. The story portrayed Macchiarini, who was already married at the time, as a serial fabulist who exaggerated or lied about degrees, academic appointments, and Eduard Folayang It is unclear whether Dr. Macchiarini is still practicing medicine, but his lawyer said in May that he had no income. Macchiarinis fall was swift, but troubling questions remain about why he was allowed to continue his experiments for so long. Sorry we couldn't set a reminder for you this time. It is fitting that Macchiarinis career unravelled at the Karolinska Institute. The felony conviction means Macchiarini would have a hard time finding employment again in Sweden, Gerdin says. ONE Super Series Today, Ms. Sein, 56, dances and plays tag with her grandchildren and plans to resume working, possibly as an acupuncturist. The plastic trachea that Yesim Cetir received disfigured her and made her last three years in life basically like torture, Bosse Lindquist, the documentarian behind the Swedish TV series The Experiment, told the Times. He says prosecutors should have pressed for manslaughter charges because Macchiarini had no evidence that the tracheas he implanted would develop into normally functioning organs. As the home of the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine, one of its ambitions is to create scientific celebrities. She soon went into full-on investigative journalist mode, and learned that Paolo had, yup lied about everything. One was a 2-year-old girl named Hannah Warren, on whom hed operated in Peoria, IL, in 2013, according to Vanity Fair. For the respect of privacy, his wifes identity is not revealed on the internet. Faced with this public relations disaster, the Karolinska Institute immediately promised to investigate the allegations but then, within days, suddenly announced that Macchiarinis contract would not be extended. The Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. Guided by a high-powered microscope, he used surgical thread half the diameter of a human hair. Although all three patients eventually died, Dr. Macchiarini was not directly accused of killing them. So in 2010, Paolo operated on her at the National Research Center of Surgery in Moscow. He was born in Basel, Switzerland to Italian parents. As of the time of that judgment, Macchiarini had not been prosecuted in other countries where he implanted his artificial windpipes, and it was unclear whether he was still practicing medicine, the Times adds. With his methods still under fire in the West, he continues to work in Russia. Chinese balloon photos Benita Alexander on attending Paolo Macchiarinis criminal trial in Sweden Alexander said she attended Macchiarini's trial for closure, seven years after she was unknowingly caught in a fraudulent romance with him, and for justice for his patients and for their families. July 21, 2022 Examined 9:54 Whats next for Russia? None have been forced to hold full and independent inquiries. Why dont the Electoral College and popular vote always match up? But when Dr. Sander S. Florman, director of Mount Sinais Transplantation Institute, and LiveOnNY, a nonprofit organ donation organization, agreed to collaborate, his wife, Audrey, encouraged him. The other side is flat and mobile to move air to the lungs. However, behind closed doors, Dr. Macchiarini was hiding a secret the procedures were not working. Not just that, Paolo was also entangled in several other controversies. When the blood vessels were finally connected, the donor trachea began bleeding. Disgraced surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who faked research relating to dangerous and largely discredited tracheal transplants, has been handed a 16 month prison sentence in Italy for forging documents and abuse of office. A panel of judges unanimously ruled that the interventions were not in accordance with science and proven experience, according to a statement released today. This guy mutilated people., Between 2011 and 2014, Macchiarini implanted artificial windpipes in at least eight patients in Sweden, the United States, and Russia. Journals retracted several of his studies. She has since had the synthetic trachea removed. Dont yet have access? 2nd Impeachment Trial: What this could mean for Trump, Presidential transition of power: Examined, How Donald Trump spent his last days as president, How Joe Biden's inauguration will be different from previous years, Trump challenges the vote and takes legal action, 2020s DNC and RNC are different than any before, Power Trip: Those Who Seek Power and Those Who Chase Them, Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of the Boy Scouts, Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders, The Orphans of COVID: America's Hidden Toll, X / o n e r a t e d - The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It is thus likely she has since passed away. Benita packed her bags again, and began to search for Paolo in order to face him once more and their final confrontation is captured in He Lied About Everything. But for now, lets focus solely on his medical patients, shall we? Paolo Macchiarinis most notable patient is Claudia Castillo. Born in 1977, this Colombian living in Spain woman suffered from tuberculosis-damaged airways. The surgeons defense attorney, Bjrn Hurtig, said his client was considering an appeal. In 2017, after another hospital said everything possible had been tried, she felt desperate. Born in 1977, this Colombian living in Spain woman suffered from tuberculosis-damaged airways. Ms. Seins trachea before, left, and her new transplanted trachea. Called Experimenten (The Experiments), it argued convincingly that Macchiarinis artificial windpipes were not the life-saving wonders wed all been led to believe. Paolo Macchiarinis most notable patient is Claudia Castillo. They allowed Macchiarini to continue his work as a visiting professor with a research lab. She received a new trachea in January and is believed to be the first patient in the world to undergo a successful direct transplant of a donor trachea.CreditSarah Blesener for The New York Times. Paolo was a world-renowned surgeon who spoke six languages, mingled with the global elite, and resembled George Clooney. If the Pope was planning to marry two divorcees, surely it would be huge global news? On Friday Mr. Hurtig declined to comment on Paolos private affairs.. According to the Times, Macchiarini seen below in a 2017 interview on Swedens TV4 Nyheterna performed 20 tracheal regeneration procedures across Europe and in the United States but hid the fact that the transplants were failing. The scandal meant theres an amazing amount of scrutiny, he said. More than a decade ago, Macchiarini became a superstar in the field of medicine when he implanted the worlds first bioartificial windpipe, a plastic structure that used the patients stem cells to reduce the risk of organ rejection. A genius is a revolutionary by definition, a risk-taker and a law-breaker. The mild sentence comes as a disappointment to Macchiarinis critics. According to The New York Times, Macchiarini is an Italian surgeon who was found criminally liable this June for causing felony bodily injury to a Turkish woman named Yesim Cetir, a patient who had received one of his 3D-printed windpipes and later died. But of 20 patients, including children, most ultimately died, and scientists said Dr. Macchiarini misrepresented data and exaggerated his techniques effectiveness. Mieke Oorts alleged killer used a GPS tracking device to stalk her and would drive up and down the road where she lived to intimidate her. Benita Alexander with one of the custom-made gowns intended for her wedding [Investigation Discovery]. It did much the same for Macchiarinis windpipe replacements. Benita was also growing increasingly concerned, because she had not yet been introduced to Paolo's children or even seen where she was meant to live with him in Barcelona. China And fooled almost everyone. This is how NBCs Meredith Vieira put it in her documentary about Macchiarini, appropriately called A Leap of Faith: Just imagine a world where any injured or diseased organ or body part you have is simply replaced by a new artificial one, literally manmade in the lab, just for you. This marvelous world was now within reach, thanks to Macchiarini. But Benita stood by her man and, she said, tried to help him through a tough time. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. They planned to marry in the Catholic Church in Italy. Paolo grew close to Alexander's daughter [Investigation Discovery], He was incredibly charming, worldly smart, sophisticated, and seemed very gentle," Benita told CrimeFeed. Last year, however, the dream soured, exposing an ugly reality. Team Lakay If the sins of Karolinska have been committed elsewhere, it is partly because medical research facilities share a common milieu, which harbours common dangers. The Karolinska University Hospital suspended Dr. Macchiarinis contract as a surgeon in 2013, but the affiliated Karolinska Institute kept him on until 2016 even as the scandal over his work spread, according to a timeline on the institutes website. Previously considered a pioneer for using both biological and synthetic scaffolds Macchiarinis lawyer declined to comment to Swedish media today about whether his client would appeal. Kentucky There are people who go to jail for 5 years for not paying their taxes. In April 2017, the university terminated his project. The couple had traveled a lot, but there were some things They also cited a loophole known as compassionate use. Scientists can also suffer from false hope. It sounded unbelievable, but Paolo explained to her that he had treated Pope John Paul II in the past, and had become part of a highly classified group of doctors that treated the global elite. In part, this is because the field of windpipe repair is a niche area. In addition to his partner of over 30 years, he also had a special next woman. And it needs a blood supply to connect to the patients vascular system. Most protagonists on medical dramas are modern-day heroes. Born in 1984, Zhadyra Iglikova suffered from tracheostomy following a car accident. They identified many problems with the way the twin organisations handled him. (The patient who survived had the implant removed.). By June 2013, when Paolo took Benita to Venice, Italy, for a romantic weekend, she knew she was falling madly in love. The apparent success of Ms. Seins operation is also notable because the trachea field has been rocked for years by a sensational scandal. The Vatican confirmed that he had never been the Pope's doctor. Unfortunately, though, she reportedly succumbed to her underlying disease in January of 2012. A life-saver and a game-changer. He additionally claimed that former patients also included Bill and Hillary Clinton, and thenPresident Obama. We now know that wasnt true. According to the Karolinska Institutes timeline of the Macchiarini case, the institute recruited Macchiarini as a visiting professor of regenerative medicine/stem cell biology in 2010, and the associated Karolinska University Hospital gave him a part-time contract as a consultant and surgeon around the same time. While many in Sweden expressed disappointment at what they saw as the leniency of the sentence, given that prosecutors had asked for five years in prison, the verdict nonetheless represented the culmination of a stunning fall from grace for a once high-flying surgeon. Why are people hesitant to trust a COVID-19 vaccine? What's next for abortion rights in America? But for now, lets focus solely on his medical patients, shall we? She says she feels she has been given a chance of being alive one more time.. Does the heat of stem cell research the high levels of funding, prestige and media coverage it enjoys somehow encourage fraud? Only three are still alive as of September 2020. Talking about her spouse Paolo, he became infamous for research fraud and manipulative behavior. I thought, If they do a transplant for everything, they should do a transplant for trachea, she recalled. He did this by chemically stripping away the cells of a windpipe taken from a deceased donor; he then seeded the bare scaffold with stem cells taken from Castillos own bone marrow. An independent investigator agreed. And because it was built from Castillos own cells, she didnt need to be on any risky immunosuppressant drugs. Benita Alexander and Paolo Macchiarini in Venice, Italy [Investigation Discovery]. ONE Championship He performed a synthetic trachea transplant on, In 2013, he met documentary television producer. Georgia Teen Vanished In South Carolina, Search Continues For North Carolina Girl, 11, Whose Parents Didnt Report Her Missing For Weeks, Where Is Ella Goodie? He was handsome, suave, and a charmer. Instead, they found him guilty of negligence and the lesser charge of causing bodily harm. Subscribe to News from Science for full access to breaking news and analysis on research and science policy.
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