Photo and design Pamela Lindgren 2014 ©
Just before flying off to Paris, Student Jenny Hedman helped Recycle Me promote Organ Donation Awareness. Thank you so much! Remember to make your wishes known, it can save lives!
The lungs are part of a complex apparatus, expanding and relaxing thousands of times each day to bring in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Lung diseases are some of the most common medical conditions in the world. Smoking, infections, and genetics are responsible for most lung diseases.
The world’s first successful lung transplantation was performed on Nov. 7, 1983 at Toronto General Hospital. Lung transplants are often the only treatment for incurable lung disorders such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But successful lung transplants are rare, as finding matching donors is very difficult - many patients die while on a waiting list for transplants.
Stem cell specialists have been working on growing lung tissue for some years, but the lung is a complex organ. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) first announced their solution for growing lungs in 2010. "In terms of different cell types, the lung is probably the most complex of all organs - the cells near the entrance are very different from those deep in the lung," UTMB researcher Dr. Joaquin Cortiella said at that time.”
Read more here; http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272763.php
Fun fact; Jenny is daughter to Håkan Hedman President of the Swedish Kidney Association.
