Thoracic surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, once celebrated as a pioneer of stem-cell-seeded trachea transplants, was convicted in Sweden of causing bodily harm to patients after most of those given his synthetic trachea implants died; he is now serving a prison sentence in Spain.
Paolo Macchiarini (born 22 August 1958) is an Italian thoracic surgeon and former regenerative-medicine researcher who became internationally known first for pioneering tissue-engineered trachea transplants and later for research fraud and criminal convictions arising from those procedures. From 2010 he held a visiting professorship and part-time surgical post at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet (KI).
Macchiarini's early transplants used donor tracheas stripped of cells and reseeded with a patient's own stem cells, beginning with Claudia Castillo in 2008. He later moved to fully synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients' bone-marrow cells, first implanted in Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene in June 2011, an operation that received extensive media coverage, including front-page reporting in The New York Times. Of eight patients who received one of Macchiarini's synthetic trachea transplants, seven died, including Beyene (January 2013), Christopher Lyles (2012), Yulia Tuulik (2014), Alexander Zozulya (February 2014), Yesim Cetir (March 2017), Hannah Warren (July 2013), and Sadiq Kanaan (2013). Only Dmitri Onogda, whose implant failed and was removed, remained alive as of 2017 with a tracheostomy. Zhadyra Iglikova, who received an earlier donor-tissue-based transplant, died in 2018 of complications including chronic pneumonia and malnutrition.
Allegations of research misconduct emerged in 2014 from four former colleagues. An external reviewer appointed by KI, Bengt Gerdin, found in a May 2015 report that Macchiarini had committed scientific misconduct in seven papers, including proceeding without ethical approval and misrepresenting patient outcomes. KI's vice-chancellor initially cleared him of misconduct in August 2015, but a 2016 Swedish television documentary series prompted KI to reopen its investigation. Sweden's national scientific review board concluded in October 2017 that six of Macchiarini's papers were the product of scientific misconduct and should be retracted; as of 2023, 11 of his papers had been retracted, with additional expressions of concern and corrections issued for others. KI declined to renew his research contract in 2016, and Kazan Federal University in Russia terminated his project in 2017.
In June 2016, Swedish police opened an investigation into potential involuntary manslaughter. A 2017 medico-legal review found negligence in four of five cases examined but could not establish criminal liability. Prosecutors reopened the investigation in December 2018 and in September 2020 an unnamed surgeon identified by Swedish media as Macchiarini was indicted on aggravated assault charges tied to three operations. He was convicted of causing bodily harm (not assault) and received a suspended sentence in June 2022. In June 2023, a Stockholm appeals court found him guilty of gross assault against three patients and increased his sentence to two years and six months' imprisonment. Sweden's Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal in October 2023, and Macchiarini began serving his sentence in a prison near Barcelona, Spain, in September 2024. In Italy, Macchiarini was separately convicted in 2019 of abuse of office and document forgery, though he was later acquitted of those charges by Italy's Supreme Court.
Swedish broadcaster SVT begins airing the documentary series 'Experimenten' investigating Macchiarini's work.
2016-02
Nobel Committee secretary Urban Lendahl resigns over his role in recruiting Macchiarini to KI.
2016-03
Karolinska Institutet terminates Macchiarini's research contract.
2016-06
Swedish police open an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter by Macchiarini.
2017-04
Kazan Federal University in Russia terminates Macchiarini's research project.
2017-10
Sweden's Prosecution Authority concludes Macchiarini was negligent in four of five cases but that a crime could not be proven; national scientific review board finds six papers resulted from misconduct.
2019
An Italian court sentences Macchiarini to sixteen months in prison for abuse of office and forging documents.
2020-09-29
Sweden's Director of Public Prosecution indicts an unnamed surgeon, identified by Swedish media as Macchiarini, on aggravated assault charges.
2022-06-16
Macchiarini is convicted of causing bodily harm and receives a suspended sentence.
2023-06-21
A Stockholm appeals court increases his sentence to two years and six months after finding him guilty of gross assault against three patients.
2023-10-30
Sweden's Supreme Court declines to hear Macchiarini's appeal.
2024-09
Macchiarini begins serving his prison sentence near Barcelona, Spain.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Kendall Rae / 50 min
Experimental Surgery & Fraud Wedding?! The Twisted Lies of Paolo Macchiarini
People
Christopher Lyles
VICTIM
Received a synthetic seeded trachea implant from Macchiarini in November 2011; died in 2012.
Paolo Macchiarini
CONVICTED
Convicted in Sweden of causing bodily harm/gross assault against patients related to synthetic trachea transplants; separately convicted in Italy of abuse of office and forgery (later acquitted by Italy's Supreme Court).
Alexander Zozulya
VICTIM
Received a synthetic seeded trachea implant in June 2012; died in February 2014 under unclear circumstances.
Zhadyra Iglikova
VICTIM
Received a seeded donated trachea implant in 2010; died in 2018 of complications.
Sadiq Kanaan
VICTIM
Received a synthetic seeded trachea implant in August 2013; died later that year.
Yulia Tuulik
VICTIM
Received a synthetic seeded trachea implant in June 2012; died in 2014.
Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene
VICTIM
Received the first fully synthetic seeded trachea implant from Macchiarini in June 2011; died in January 2013.
Yesim Cetir
VICTIM
Underwent multiple synthetic trachea implant procedures by Macchiarini beginning 2012; died in March 2017.
Hannah Warren
VICTIM
Two-year-old patient who received a synthetic seeded trachea implant in April 2013; died in July 2013.
Claudia Castillo
VICTIM
Received a donor-tissue-based stem-cell-seeded trachea transplant from Macchiarini in June 2008; later underwent lung amputation.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Thoracic surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, once celebrated as a pioneer of stem-cell-seeded trachea transplants, was convicted in Sweden of causing bodily harm to patients after most of those given his synthetic trachea implants died; he is now serving a prison sentence in Spain.
Where did the crime happen?
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Who was convicted?
Paolo Macchiarini (Convicted in Sweden of causing bodily harm/gross assault against patients related to synthetic trachea transplants; separately convicted in Italy of abuse of office and forgery (later acquitted by Italy's Supreme Court).).
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