STOCKHOLM – The Italian surgeon who made headlines in 2011 by performing the first stem cell transplant at a major Swedish hospital was sentenced Wednesday for aggravated assault on three of his patients.
Once considered a leading figure in regenerative medicine, stem cell scientist Dr. Paolo Maccarini is credited with creating the world’s first airway tube made in part from the patient’s own stem cells.
In December 2018, Sweden decided to reopen the previously interrupted investigation into three cases. Further written evidence was obtained and further interviews were conducted with individuals in Sweden, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain.
Macarin appeared before the Solna District Court on Wednesday, but is likely to testify for the first time on Friday. Swedish broadcaster SVT said its lawyer Bjorn Hurtig believes Makarin’s former employer, the prestigious Karolinski Institute in Sweden, should be held accountable.
Macarin was fired from the Karolinsky Institute for violating medical ethics in March 2016 after being accused of falsifying his resume and misrepresenting his work.
When Makarin’s first airway transplant was reported in the medical journal The Lancet in 2008, it was described as a breakthrough in regenerative medicine. Makarin’s new airways, made in part using stem cells from patients, were believed to be the publisher of a new era in which new organs could be created in the laboratory.
Although an independent commission in Sweden has identified many problems with Makarin’s work, the Lancet has so far refused to cancel the study.
Macarin had previously denied the allegations.
He has operated 20 patients from countries such as Spain, Russia, Iceland, England and the United States to provide artificial breathing tubes. Critics say Macarin rejects medical ethics and compiles his patients’ descriptions for performing dangerous procedures with no proven benefits. conditions.
In 2019 an Italian court sentenced Macarin to 16 months in prison for falsifying documents and abuse of power.
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Source: Washington Post
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
