Colleen Boyle, a junior at the University of Georgia majoring in biology and genetics, is the founder and president of Donate Life UGA. Donate Life is a national non-profit organization that seeks to increase the number of organ, eye, and tissue donations by educating people about donation and promoting donation registration. Boyle became involved with the Donate Life project when she realized that many people have serious misconceptions about what …

By Caroline Song

Beacon Journal published the article, “Woman with rare cancer fighting insurer to cover transplant” on March 9, 2014, written by their medical writer, Cheryl Powell. The story centers on Jeanne Ralston-Astalos’s struggle to obtain coverage from her insurance provider for a liver transplant. From Northfield, Ohio, the 50-year-old mother of two suffers from an extremely rare form of cancer. Ralston-Astalos first discovered something was wrong in July of …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer
Bioprinting expert Benjamin Harris and his team at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have been developing several promising projects using 3D printing technology. One machine, a printer that can produce artificial structures while dispensing living cells, is being used to replace missing or damaged ears, noses, and bones.  A second printer, still in the development stages, is being programmed to print live skin cells onto burned …

By Julie Killian

Dr. Mats Brannstrom from Sweden is leading research to determine whether or not women with transplanted wombs will be able to have healthy and successful pregnancies. Since 2012, nine women have received transplanted wombs from their mothers and close relatives in order to have their own biological children. Two of those women suffered from post – transplant complications and had their wombs removed. Dr. Brannstorm predicted that …

By Caroline Song

In an interview conducted by the UB POST of Mongolia, the State Honored Doctor and Professor of Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic D.Nyamsuren, who is currently the head of the Kidney Transplant Center team at the National Central Hospital in Mongolia, addresses the concern of kidney transplant fees. Currently, a kidney transplant at the National Central Hospital costs 12 million Mongolian Tughrik (MNT), which is roughly $7,000 US dollars. …

By Kayla Santos

A four year old boy in desperate need of a heart transplant was finally given one thanks to the incredible generosity of a grieving family. Although the details have not yet been confirmed due to restrictions of a privacy policy, it is believed that the Guerra family is to thank for a number of donated organs of a brother and sister who perished in a house fire a …

By Juan Duran

In the Lancet, a systemic review and meta-analysis on current state of chronic kidney disease in Sub-Saharan Africa was published as a call to action for national health policies for the early detection and treatment of end-stage kidney disease. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is currently ranked 18th amongst the leading global causes of death up from 27th in 1990. This rise has been accompanied by an 82% increase …

By Kayla Santos

Research shows that patients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had a high risk of developing cancers including esophageal, colon, oral, skin, and brain and nervous system cancers. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or HSCT, is the transplantation of multi potent hematopoietic stem cells, from sources such as bone marrow, peripheral blood or umbilical blood, into a patient. The transplant is risky and is therefore performed primarily on …

By Juan Duran

In 2002, the Netherlands was the first country in Europe to legalize euthanasia for adults as well as seriously sick patients 12 years of age and older. This week, Belgium, which already allows euthanasia for adults, passed a measure through its upper house lifting all age restriction on legal and medical induced death, making it the first country to do so. The law says that children under …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer

Everyone knows that organ donation saves lives, but this process entails consequences, risks, and other variables that are still unknown. In light of this, many researchers have undertaken studies to better understand such mysterious factors. Recently, the World Health Organization gathered and synthesized data indicating the long-term success rates of kidney donations, from both live donors and cadavers, from various countries around the world. The …