Rebuilding the Body: Organ Transplantation (Science at the Edge)

Every 27 minutes someone, somewhere, receives an organ transplant. Every 2 hours and 24 minutes, someone dies, waiting for a donated organ. Long before organ transplantation became a standard medical practice, doctors knew it would be a solution to the illness and death caused by organ failure. Before they could successfully transplant organs, there were many things they had to learn. They studied the immune system to understand why and how organs were rejected. They learned how to treat the donated organs of people who died suddenly so the organs could be transplanted into another person. They learned how to match the tissue types of the recipient and the donor. Now some scientists are researching the use of embryonic stem cells to create new, healthy tissues and organs. Others are creating pigs whose organs will be accepted by humans. Can a life-saving science have a downside? This book presents the facts and the issues and gives you a chance to make up your own mind.Ann Fullick is the author of 'Rebuilding the Body: Organ Transplantation (Science at the Edge)' with ISBN 9781403441225 and ISBN 1403441227.