Current achievements and future perspectives in whole-organ bioengineering

Table 1 Statistical data on organ transplantation in the US for 2012

	Recovered	Transplanted	Discarded	Loss rate, percentage
Pancreas	1,562	1,143	419	26.8
Kidney	14,784	12,140	2,644	17.9
Liver	6,685	6,030	655	9.8
Intestines	136	129	7	5.2
Lungs	3,302	3,163	139	4.2
Heart	2,382	2,365	17	0.7
All organs	28,851	24,970	3,881	13.5

Data show how yearly almost 4,000 organs, originally destined for transplant, are discarded for different reasons. These organs could represent a unique source for regenerative medicine and organ bioengineering research. Source: New York Times [107].

ISSN: 1757-6512