Growing our donated organ supply

For those in need of one, an organ transplant is a matter of life and death. Every year, the medical procedure gives thousands of people with advanced or end-stage diseases extended life. This “second chance” is heavily dependent on the availability, compatibility, and proximity of a precious resource that can’t be simply bought, grown, or manufactured — at least not yet. Instead, organs must be given — cut from one body and implanted into another. And because living organ donation is only viable in certain cases, many organs are only...