By Caroline Song

Sara James, for PBS Newshour, interviewed several individuals in Australia about organ donation. Her published segment, “Can policy changes lead to an increase in organ donations?” showcased the impact of the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA) on the general public. The interview starts with the story of Damien Blumire, whom at 40 years old is suffering from an inherited form of kidney disease. He has currently been …

By Marc Beuttler

Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) and United Therapeutics Corporation are teaming up to develop humanized pig lungs. Each year, 400,000 people die from lung disease, and the aim of this partnership is to create organs that are safe to use in humans and effective for transplantation as a treatment for terminal lung disease.
SGI designs its own DNA and uses genome-modification tools to take primary pig cells (those cells that …

By Caroline Song

Kelly Grant, a health reporter for The Globe and Mail, has recently published the article “Nova Scotia eye making organ donation automatic,” which looks at the Nova Scotia governments’ move towards presumed consent in deceased organ donation. The Health Minister Leo Glavine hopes to work in concert with the deputy health minister to run a public consultation online to gauge Nova Scotia’s response to a presumed consent law. …

By Kayla Santos

A new, federal kidney allocation system will reduce the amount of donated kidneys that are discarded by surgeons as well as better match the donor organ to the recipient. In 2012, it was determined that 1 in every 5 donated kidneys was discarded by surgeons because they were deemed unsuitable for transplantation. Candidates for transplants will be rated on an EPTS, estimated post-transplant survival score, based on age, …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer

The great demand for organs worldwide has many serious consequences. Chief among them is the creation of an organ black market; as of 2014, more than 27 million people have been killed for or forced into giving up their organs.
In India, instances of black market organ trafficking are skyrocketing. Vulnerable populations, such as children and the homeless, are the most frequent targets. While sometimes individuals survive these extractions, …

By Noushaba T. Rashid

The Saudi Gazette recently reported from Dammam that for the past 2 years, as many as 410 Saudis have turned to black market organs, mainly kidneys, for illegal transportation.
Dr. Faisal Shaheen, the director of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplants (SCOT) states that 220 Saudis bought organs for transplants from several markets, including Pakistan, China and Egypt in 2013. 190 other Saudis did the same in 2012 …

By Marc Beuttler

Members of the Scottish parliament and other leaders are calling on the Scottish government to switch to an opt-out system of organ donation. In response to these calls for change, the British Medical Association, the British Heart Foundation and the Kidney Federation, among others met on April 22, at the Scottish parliament to discuss implementation of an opt-out system.
The Scottish Government originally decided to wait for an evaluation …

By Zoe Martina Siegel

95 percent of Americans subscribe to believing in organ donation; however, only 40 percent of qualified donors actually register. Dr. Jason T. Siegel, PhD, a lead researcher of Claremont Graduate University, has found that there is a significant difference between people who feel strongly about organ donation and people who feel strongly about signing up as a donor. Why is there a large variance between the attitudes …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer

Two new studies in the most recent edition of The Lancet suggest progress in the transplantation of lab-grown organs. “They both show that by using fairly simple tissue engineering techniques, you can get real tissue forming where it’s supposed to,” said Dr. Margin Birchall of University College London. The simple engineering methods utilized by both studies can be applied to grow other organs, such as the esophagus, bowels, …

By Kayla Santos

Using stem cells, scientists at London’s Royal Free hospital have been able to create body parts including noses, ears and even blood vessels. The organs have even been used in replacement surgeries for a small number of patients so far. Scaffolds for the organs are made from a type of polymer material; the stem cells from the patient are grown in lab and then placed on the scaffold. …