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Pig organs for transplant patients

Two recent breakthrough surgeries show how far the science of pig to human organ transplants has developed. The science is thrilling, but is it the right way to solve the problem?

People die waiting for replacement hearts, lungs and kidneys. Could genetically modified pigs be the solution to a worldwide shortage of organ donors?

We meet the teams that have had impressive recent successes transplanting pig organs into people. We’ll explore the huge leaps of genetic engineering that are making 'xenotransplantation' possible and ask if it’s even ethical to try.

In the studio with Marnie Chesterton, Dr Graham Easton guides us through the science of getting pig organs to work in human bodies.

We also hear from transplant surgeon Dr Devagourou Velayoudam and Professor Nadey Hakim, on how these breakthroughs might benefit India and Nigeria, and other countries which don’t have the same medical and research resources of the US.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Ilan Goodman

(Picture: Two pigs on a farm. Photo credit: Charity Burggraaf/Getty Images.)

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28 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Feb 2022 02:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 16 Feb 2022 20:32GMT
  • Wed 16 Feb 2022 21:32GMT
  • Thu 17 Feb 2022 04:32GMT
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  • Thu 17 Feb 2022 13:32GMT
  • Thu 17 Feb 2022 18:32GMT
  • Sat 19 Feb 2022 02:32GMT
  • Sun 20 Feb 2022 02:32GMT

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