Regeneration of the trachea

Abstract

We previously conducted a study in which a tracheal prosthesis was placed in dogs. The tracheal prosthesis was made from tissue regenerated from autologous cells. We successfully regenerated the mucosal epithelium and cilia along the tracheal lumen. The maximum length of the defect was six tracheal rings. Based on the results of this study, we conducted studies on clinical application of such prosthesis in human subjects with tracheal stenosis or defect after cancer surgery or injury. These studies have yielded good results. However, in clinical application for pediatric patients, a regenerated trachea must grow as the patients grow. Thus, it is necessary to develop a scaffold that has the strength to maintain a patent tracheal lumen, enables cartilage regeneration to progress, and completely degrades when regeneration is complete. There is much anticipation in future studies using cultured cartilage tissue and iPS cells.