Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq: HBIO), a life sciences tools company, says the first two successful stem cells laryngotracheal transplants have been completed in Russia using the companys specially-designed bioreactor to grow the cells, which were taken from the patients bone marrow.

Last November, the Holliston, Mass.-based company announced that a simpler procedure, a tracheal transplant, had been completed using stem cells grown in the bioreactor. A few month later, the company announced that the recipient of the tracheal transplant, Christopher Lyle, had died.

The transplants, which required more than six months of preparation, were performed on the first two patients enrolled in an ongoing clinical trial at Krasnodar Regional Hospital in Russia. The company said the procedures are the result of a global collaboration involving organizations in the U.S., Sweden, Russia, Germany, and Italy. The patients were treated as part of a $4.8 million Russian government grant designed to foster international collaboration.

Both of the patients are under 35 and suffered severe damage to their tracheas due to car accidents and subsequent comas they sustained. The company said both patients were able to breathe and speak normally after the procedure.

Here is the original post:
Harvard Bioscience plays role in stem cell transplants