Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) have successfully regenerated kidneys that were unsuitable for transplantation. They stripped the tissue of all native cells, then added donor stem cells to the scaffolding that was left behind. The re-animated kidneys successfully created urine after being transplanted into rats! The hope is to apply this technique to humans with end stage renal disease who are in need of kidney transplants and reportedly would work for the regeneration of other tissues as well.
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The news was just publicly announced that the University of Maryland is now the 2nd hospital to perform full face transplant in the US.
**Update below (1/30/2016)
Back in 2006, I wrote a short note on the use of pigs for organ transplants.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that the reason for Apple CEO Steve Job's five month medical leave of absence from Apple is that he needed a liver transplant, which, accor