By Marc Beuttler Dr. Stephen Beed, professor of medicine and critical care physician at Dalhousie University, responded yesterday to the growing debate on presumed consent policy in organ donation.After Nova Scotia’s health minister recently broached the topic in an effort to improve organ donation rates, Jaquelyn Shaw, a health researcher in Halifax, responded with an [...]
By Caroline Song In Belmont, MA, Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital researchers have found a way to create better therapies for Parkinson’s disease. Fetal dopamine cells are transplanted in the brains of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and remained healthy and functional for nearly 14 years. The transplanted cells were able to create connections and function as nerve [...]
By Caroline Song On June 5, 2014 the scientists in Taiwan have found that intravenous injections of stem cells derived from human exfoliated deciduous tooth pulp (SHED) have a protective effect against brain damage from heat stroke in mice. According to Dr. Ying-Chu Lin of the Kaohsiung Medical University School of Dentistry, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan [...]
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Human organ trafficking is one of the emerging issues in the globalizing world. Almost all the facts about the illegal trade in organs is collected by criminal justice programs, security agencies, public health organizations and other informational sources, but despite that many countries are continuing to violate the existing law and regulations [...]
By Raina Jain The practice of micro-financing, which began in Bangladesh, has become a factor indirectly contributing to organ trafficking in the country. The initiative began as a means to provide loans to help small businesses succeed in Bangladesh. Although efforts were aimed to alleviate poverty, it has led to severe problems for Bangladeshis due [...]
By Caroline Song Space Coast Daily reports on the efforts of Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) in his efforts to raise funding for kidney dialysis patients in an article titled, “Foot Prints’ Raised 35K for Kidney Dialysis Patients.” This is the third annual run of “Foot Prints in the Sand” Kidney Beach Walk in Cocoa Beach, [...]
By Caroline Song David McNamee writes for Medical News Today and recently published the piece “Students produce 3D-printed artificial kidney prototypes.” Chemical engineering students at the University of Connecticut (UConn) have harnessed 3D printing to develop prototypes for artificial kidneys. The idea is not unique to the students. Surgeons in Japan have used 3D printed [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
Harvard Stem Cell Research Institute (HSCI) scientists have recently demonstrated that the protein GDF11 improves brain and skeletal muscle function in aging mice. Two studies, one led by Professor Amy Wagers, PhD, and one led by Lee Rubin, PhD, of Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB), demonstrated the regenerative capacity that higher [...]
