The successful kidney transplant undergone by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister, has turned the spotlight on the need to popularise and increase the number of organ donations. In our country alone, some one and a half lakh people are added to the waiting list of those waiting for kidney transplant in a year. Some 50,000 are in need of heart transplant. It is heartening to note the recent increase in the number of those who have pledged to donate their organs from 9000 a few years ago to 1.25 lakhs in 2015. However, despite the commendable efforts of non-governmental organisations, the number of organ donors is still far from adequate. In this context, an ongoing medical miracle is good news. A revolutionary alternative technique, organ regeneration rather than replacement, is being perfected. It has moved from science fiction to reality.
Currently the focus of this revolution is on the Salk Institute of Biological Studies in....
