Xenotransplantation Basics: No, it’s not a warrior princess
Imagine a world where we have farms of pigs and primates, purposely bred and used for human organs. Or consider a scenario much like Nalo Hopkinson’s novel, Brown Girl In The Ring, where xenotransplantation is the norm, and human-to-human organ donation is seen as barbaric, even cannibalistic. Using animal organs and tissue in lieu of … Read more
Giving the Gift of Life Youth Organ Donation Awareness: The GGOL Ambassador Experience…so far
Giving the Gift of Life (GGOL) is a unique programme cultivating organ, blood and bone marrow donor youth ambassadors through job skills training. It was created by the UK’s African Caribbean Leukamia Trust (ACLT). One of their participants from the programme gives us the inside scoop on his training experience. By Matthew Babayemi, ACLT Youth … Read more
The lower “cost” of bone marrow donation: freshly minted research out on donor (dis)incentives
Paying bone marrow or organ donors is still a hot button issue. Ethical qualms aside, the core question surrounding this issue is whether such monetary incentives, or less drastic incentives like tax breaks, are actually effective enough to encourage more donors to register. But a less divisive and perhaps less public donor benefit has been … Read more
Consider the child: Minor donation is a major issue
By Marion Siebelink University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. m.j.siebelink@umcg.nl Pediatric organ donation: The basics Children on the waiting list for transplantation die because of a shortage in size-matched organs. These organs and tissues generally come from other children. Organ donation in pediatrics is a very sensitive process. A deeper understanding … Read more
Obscura Day alert: Biomedical curiosities galore!
I am a huge fan of medical museums and scientific entertainment. Some of you may have gathered this from coverage on the Heart of Cape Town Transplant Museum. One of our recent news roundups featured a talk about the unexpected history of blood transfusion. And lord knows it’s newsworthy when art and tissue donation intersect. … Read more
What Do Zombies and Actor Steven Yeun Have in Common? Organ Donation!
by Claire de Louraille and Emily Avera If you have not heard of AMC network’s The Walking Dead I’ll be fairly impressed since it’s the most watched basic cable drama in television history. With an 8.1 million viewers for the Season 2 premiere, it’s not a television show to dismiss. For the uninitiated, The Walking … Read more
Giving the gift of life: Youth Education on Organ Donation
When you’re back is against the wall and your situation looks dire, all anyone wants is a chance. At least one chance to change their situation, an opportunity to fight for what they need. There are many challenging life situations that spring to mind – take for example people in need of a matching donor … Read more
