Scientists Outsmart the Immune System to Better Match People with Organs
Heartless In the U.S., 3,200 patients are currently waiting for a donor heart. About 300 will die this year before receiving one. Kevin Curtis/Getty Images One of the most vexing problems that confronted surgeons after they completed the first successful human organ transplant, in 1954, was: Where would they get more organs? Medical researchers have since figured out how to transplant hearts, eyes and even entire faces. But half a century later, they still struggle to keep up with the demand for parts. For example, in the U.S., every year 1,400 people die awaiting livers and 4,500 more awaiting kidneys. Part of the problem, of course, is that people want to hang on to the organs they have, both in life and death. But difficulties arise even with available organs. Because the human immune system is extraordinarily picky, the person at the top of the wait list may lose out to someone...