This segment originally aired Feb. 13, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.
Today, the demand for organ transplants grossly surpasses the supply. Every day 22 people die in the U.S. waiting for an organ transplant. This fact caused scientist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California to explore alternative means for a secure organ source. They may have found a solution — growing human organs in genetically modified pigs.
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Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and Jun Wu are the team leaders for the project and, after years of unsuccessful attempts, they are finally beginning to see results. VICE News correspondent Nellie Bowles reported from the Salk Institute lab where scientists are hoping their research will one day put an end to the transplant organ deficit.
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