organ transplant

Pig kidney transplant fails after patient rejection

12:14pm April 11, 2025

Surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City had to remove a genetically modified pig kidney from Towana Looney, 53, of Gadsden, Ala., because her body rejected the organ. She's back on dialysis.

Surgical instruments used in a kidney transplant in 2016. The agency that oversees organ allocation, the United Network for Organ Sharing, is under scrutiny after a report documented loss and waste of donated organs, often because of problems transportin

Transplant agency is criticized for donor organs arriving late, damaged or diseased

1:10pm August 18, 2022

by Blake Farmer

A probe found troubling lapses in the country's organ transplant system. Blood types mismatched, diseased organs accidentally transplanted and donor organs lost or damaged in transit.

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A computer-enhanced image of the HIV virus.

Protecting The Immuno-Compromised Against COVID Could Be Key To Ending The Pandemic

6:50pm June 28, 2021

by Nurith Aizenman

Vaccines may not be as effective for those who are immuno-compromised. Protecting them needs to be made a top priority, says researchers — to keep them safe and to slow the emergence of variants.

Giving people with organ transplants a third dose of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 appears to boost their immunity, according to a new study.

Health & Safety

A 3rd Dose Of COVID Vaccines May Boost Immunity For Transplant Recipients

12:38pm June 15, 2021

by Maria Godoy

The COVID vaccines haven't proved very effective for people living with organ transplants. But getting a third dose of the mRNA vaccines gave a big bump in antibody levels in a new study.

Even after full vaccination against COVID-19, people who have had organ transplants are urged by their doctors to keep wearing masks and taking extra precautions. Research shows the strong drugs they must take to prevent organ rejection can significantly

Vaccination Against COVID 'Does Not Mean Immunity' For People With Organ Transplants

7:45pm May 07, 2021

by Maria Godoy

For most people, COVID-19 vaccines promise a return to something akin to normal life. But for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have a transplanted organ, it's a different story.

Using fluorescent antibody-based stains and advanced microscopy, researchers are able to visualize cells of different species origins in an early stage chimeric embryo. The red color indicates the cells of human origin.

Scientists Create Early Embryos That Are Part Human, Part Monkey

4:35pm April 15, 2021

by Rob Stein

An international team has put human cells into monkey embryos in hopes of finding new ways to produce organs for transplantation. But some ethicists still worry about how such research could go wrong.

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Health & Safety

Organ Donation Nonprofits Face New Scrutiny Under Trump Administration Rules

12:02pm December 29, 2020

by Blake Farmer

Health officials are changing how they assess the regional nonprofits that find organs to transplant. The goal is to understand, and eventually fix, the geographic disparities in organ availability.

Tom and Dana Saputo sit in their backyard with their three dogs. Tom Saputo's double-lung transplant was fully covered by insurance, but he was responsible for an $11,524.79 portion of the charge for an air ambulance ride.

Health & Safety

The Air Ambulance Billed More Than The Lung Transplant Surgeon

11:23am November 06, 2019

by Anna Almendrala

After Tom Saputo underwent a double-lung transplant in 2018, he was stunned by the more than $11,000 bill for his share of a 27-mile air ambulance ride from one hospital to another.

Marlene Shay's (right) son Adam overdosed on heroin when he was 21 years old. His kidney and pancreas went to Karen Goodwin, a recovering addict herself.

After He Died From An Opioid Overdose, She Got A New Chance At Life

5:00am November 17, 2017

When Marlene Shay lost her son Adam to an opioid overdose, his organs went to Karen Goodwin, who was in treatment for drug addiction. If it wasn't for him, Goodwin tells Shay, "I wouldn't be here."

Piper Su, seen here with her son, Elliot, lives in Alexandria, Va. She has registered with several transplant centers in hopes of increasing the odds of getting an organ.

Searching For A Fairer Way To Distribute Donor Livers

12:11pm September 26, 2017

by Rob Stein

The nation's organ transplant network is considering changing how livers are distributed. The goal is to make the system fairer, but critics worry patients in poorer rural areas could lose out.

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