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Pig organs for transplant patients

James Gallagher talks to the surgeons behind two historic xenotransplant operations. Are pig organs the solution to the shortage of hearts and kidneys for transplant patients?

Can “one helluva pig” be the solution to a worldwide shortage of organ donors. People die waiting for replacement hearts, lungs and kidneys. So I meet the teams that have started 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.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker

Available now

28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Tue 8 Feb 2022 21:00
  • Wed 9 Feb 2022 15:30

Podcast