Alec Christopher Schemmel is a dean’s list student who graduated with a degree in journalism and political science from American University in Washington, DC. Schemmel has reported on breaking news for The Daily Caller, reaching millions of readers across the nation, and completed investigative research for InfluenceWatch.org, a project of the Capital Research Center. In June 2020, Alec Schemmel published an article he wrote for the Daily Caller covering the development of miniature livers, which is one of the latest developments in medical science to reduce the danger of long wait times for liver transplants. The United Network for Organ Sharing states that around three people awaiting liver transplants die every day.
Titled “Researchers Develop ‘Mini Livers‘ from Skin Cells That Could Help Thousands Waiting for a Transplant” the article reports on the work of Dr. Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez and his group at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The group created mini-livers that were fully functional and transplanted into rats wherein they remained alive for four days.
In the long term, the manufactured miniature livers hold the promise of replacing organ donations. In the short term, they could assist patients waiting for liver donations. During acute liver failure, they could act as hepatic boosts while a patient waits for a new liver. Dr. Soto-Guiterrez knows there are still major obstacles to overcome. Nonetheless, he is optimistic that the made-to-order livers are not only a key to replace organ donations but also provide useful tools in their own right.
Alec Schemmel 