Paolo Macchiarini was born on August 22, 1958. He was a former thoracic surgeon and regenerative medicine researcher who became known for research fraud and unethical surgical practices, especially during his time at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Although initially celebrated for his work on synthetic trachea transplants, his procedures led to several patient deaths and a conviction for causing bodily harm, resulting in a prison sentence. His career is connected to Basel through his academic affiliations and the fallout from his research misconduct, which prompted scrutiny and calls for retractions of his published work. See wikipedia for more information.