During his visit to the United Nations in the USA, Prof. Dr. Onur Yaprak, President of the Liver Transplantation Center at Mega Medipol Hospital, stated that no new method for organ transplantation is expected to become available within the next decade.

He said the global rise in obesity-related metabolic syndrome is a leading cause of organ failure, especially liver and kidney failure. Yaprak explained that organ shortages are becoming a major issue, particularly in Türkiye, where cadaver donations remain very low compared to countries like Spain.

According to him, global research into artificial organs, 3D-printed tissues, and interspecies transplants has not yet produced practical results. He said prototype livers and hearts created through 3D printing remain non-functional and that xenotransplantation studies dating back to the 1920s have repeatedly failed.

Yaprak emphasized the importance of preventive health policies, reportedly saying that preventing people from becoming sick is far easier than finding or producing a new organ.

Dilek Kaya