Organ Donation News and Research

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$Small fraction of film and television productions provide complete, accurate information on brain death$

Small fraction of film and television productions provide complete, accurate information on brain death

Neurologists who examined how brain death and organ donation are portrayed in film and television found that only a small fraction of productions provide the public with a complete and accurate understanding of brain death.

19 Sep 2016

Stranger’s organ donation instigates six-way kidney swap

A stranger began a chain of events that eventually saved the lives of six people in desperate need of new kidneys. Her organ donation triggered a six-way kidney swap at Houston Methodist Hospital in July, the second largest of its kind performed at one institution in Texas.

2 Aug 2016

Innovative organ donation program allows living donors to donate kidney in advance

Gift certificate, layaway plan or voucher. Call it what you want, but an innovative organ donation program initiated at UCLA has started to spread to other transplant programs across the United States.

11 Jul 2016

Researchers receive grant to improve quality of donor limb, tissue for transplant

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine faculty member has received $998,500 from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a new approach to improve the quality and quantity of limbs and tissues obtained from brain dead organ donors.

27 Jun 2016

Eye donations: what stops people? An interview with Rory Passmore

Despite a shortage of corneas for transplant purposes, our new research reveals that eyes are the one body part we are least likely to donate.

27 Jun 2016

Researchers produce insulin-secreting cells from stem cells of diabetic patients

Signaling a potential new approach to treating diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University have produced insulin-secreting cells from stem cells derived from patients with type 1 diabetes.

11 May 2016

Study: British adults agree to donate heart, kidney and lungs, but not eyes for transplant

Despite a shortage of corneas for transplant purposes, new research reveals that eyes are the one body part we are least likely to donate.

19 Apr 2016

Scientists demonstrate method for generating eye tissues to restore lost or damaged vision

Scientists have demonstrated a method for generating several key types of eye tissue from human stem cells in a way that mirrors whole eye development.

10 Mar 2016

Freestanding organ recovery facility for brain-dead donors increases organ transplant

Transplant surgeons report that obtaining organs from deceased organ donors costs much less and leads to a higher number of transplantable organs recovered when brain-dead donors are moved from the hospital to an independent, freestanding facility dedicated to organ recovery. Their study is published online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print publication later this year.

2 Mar 2016

New clinical manual addresses controversial topic of organ donation after euthanasia

A new practical manual addresses the controversial topic of organ donation after euthanasia, providing guidance to clinicians whose patients have requested euthanasia and the desire to offer their organs to others in need.

24 Feb 2016

NHS Organ Donor Register failing transplant patients

The organs of over 500 individuals who had stated their wish for their organs to be used in transplants, and were included on the NHS Organ Donor Register, could not be used after relatives refused to allow organ donation.

15 Jan 2016

UHN's multi-disciplinary team successfully completes Canada's first transplant of the upper limb

In a Canadian first, a multi-disciplinary team, led by Dr. Steven McCabe, has successfully completed the country's first transplant of the upper limb.

13 Jan 2016

Stanford bioethicist wins 2015 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes

The 2015 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes, a $50,000 award, will be presented to Laura Roberts, MD, MA, a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, who is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an internationally recognized scholar in bioethics, psychiatry, medicine and medical education.

3 Nov 2015

ASN honors award-winning actor George Lopez for leading fight against kidney disease

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) will present the President's Medal to award-winning actor, comedian, and philanthropist George Lopez.

16 Oct 2015

New study of DCD liver transplantations finds no significant link between donor age and organ survival

Organ donation after circulatory death (DCD), in which transplant organs are taken from donors after ay period of no blood circulation or oxygenation, is often considered inferior to donation after brain death, in which circulation and oxygenation are maintained until organs are removed for transplantation. Currently, the use of livers from DCD donors remains controversial, particularly with donors with advanced age.

9 Sep 2015

Researchers evaluate use of human fetal progenitor tenocyte to repair tendon injuries

Tendon injuries, especially those acquired while engaging in sports, are not easily healed due to the fibrous nature of tendon tissues which transmit forces from muscle to bone and protect surrounding tissues against tension and compression. Tendon injuries to wrists, knees, elbows and rotator cuffs, often from over use when playing golf or tennis, are increasingly common for both professional and amateur athletes ("weekend warriors") alike.

21 Aug 2015

UChicago Medicine contributes to Illinois Transplant Fund

The University of Chicago Medicine has become the first transplant center to contribute to the Illinois Transplant Fund (ITF), a new not-for-profit that provides financial support for organ transplants to qualified uninsured residents of northern and central Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

31 Jul 2015

Finding by UCSF researchers could increase availability of kidneys for transplant

Mild hypothermia in deceased organ donors significantly reduces delayed graft function in kidney transplant recipients when compared to normal body temperature, according to UC San Francisco researchers and collaborators, a finding that could lead to an increase in the availability of kidneys for transplant.

30 Jul 2015

Organ donor honored at Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Two years ago, Rachel Greenberg went out to run a few errands. While she was gone, her husband Glenn suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. He was immediately taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center where physicians explained he had suffered the worst kind of brain bleed.

25 Jul 2015

Three Wishes Project brings peace to critically ill patients and their families

Asking for and honouring last wishes helps to create meaning, memories and closure at death, and personalizes the dying process for patients and their families, says a new study led by a McMaster University professor.

15 Jul 2015