Transplant

In a clinical trial, a baby in Japan has received the world’s first successful transplant of new liver cells derived from embryonic stem cells. The “bridge treatment” kept the infant healthy until old enough to receive a liver transplant.

Scientists have managed to copy one of cancer's strategies to hide from the immune system, and use it for good. They made new microparticles that permanently prevent transplanted tissue or even whole limbs from being rejected by the immune system.

When someone has a severe burn, a protective covering needs to be temporarily grafted onto the wound site. Although that covering typically consists of skin from a human cadaver, live-cell pig skin has now been used on a patient for the first time.

A new supercooling technique could greatly improve transplantation outcomes by taking the organs into the realm of subzero temperatures for the first time.

​Ah, eggshells … they could already find use in eco-friendly rubber, carbon capture, ceramics, biodegradable packaging, and energy storage. Now, new research shows that the ubiquitous form of food waste may also be utilized to grow bone for use in transplants.

A disturbing portrait of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China has been revealed in the final judgement of an independent panel established to investigate the issue. The report details evidence of an organized infrastructure harvesting organs from persecuted groups.

​When someone is missing facial bone due to injury or illness, the current treatment involves transplanting a piece of bone extracted from the leg, leaving a deficit there. Now, however, scientists have succeeded in growing extra bone within sheep's bodies, that's preformed to the shape required.

3D printing organs is going through some teething issues. Now researchers have found a surprisingly simple answer to the complex problem of printing detailed vascular networks, and shown it off with a dramatic model of a breathing lung that passes oxygen into surrounding blood vessels.

​Using regular aircraft to transport organs usually works OK, but problems can arise when flights are delayed, or when planes can't land in remote areas. That's where drones could make a difference – and in an April 19th exercise, one was used to deliver a kidney for a human recipient.

​It goes without saying that the greater the number of organs available for transplant, the better for patients in need of them. A newly-developed technique could help, as it uses light to kill viruses and bacteria that might otherwise make donated organs unsuitable for use.

In an incredible milestone, scientists have for the first time created “universal” stem cells by using CRISPR gene-editing technology to produce pluripotent stem cells that can be transplanted into any patient without generating an immune system response.

A confronting new study has revealed over 400 published research papers may be in violation of international ethical standards regarding the use of donor organs sourced from executed prisoners. The study calls for a mass retraction of hundreds of research papers from mainland China.