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CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
The Man with the Pig Kidney - Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:00:08 On January 25th, 2025 Tim Andrews became a medical pioneer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:00:17 He received a pig kidney transplant. Now, while he was not the first, he does hope that his and the contributions of many others means that he also won't be the last. Tim Andrews 00:00:29 Stepping forward, you're gonna do something for humanity. This is a way that we can bring this forward. And this is the hope for all these people that it's gonna be okay. We're gonna find a way. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:00:45 It's been an incredible journey of an incredible man and an incredible scientific achievement. And this may only be the beginning. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and this is part two of Animal Farm. It's been just seven days since Tim Andrews received a pig kidney. Tim Andrews 00:01:10 I'm a crier. They all know it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:01:12 He's understandably emotional. Once tethered to a dialysis machine for survival, Tim is now free. Tim Andrews 00:01:19 Oh, it's nice Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:01:25 There's that great shot of you as you're walking out of the hospital and you're fresh air in it. It almost seemed like you were breathing air for the first time. Tim Andrews 00:01:34 Yeah, it kind of felt like it had been a long time since I had been outside, really. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:01:43 And by leaving the hospital so soon, Tim was making history. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:01:47 You wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Yes. And you wanted to be Towana Tim Andrews 00:01:53 Yeah Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:02:00 'Tawana is Towana Looney, a 53-year-old Alabama grandmother who underwent a pig kidney transplant two months earlier. So how you feeling? Dr. Robert Montgomery was her surgeon. Towana Looney 00:02:12 You know what the first thing I'm gonna do when I get home? What's that? Cook me some greens. Some greens? Like your wife sent me. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:02:21 She had been on dialysis for nine years, waiting for an organ transplant. Dr. Robert Mongtomery 00:02:25 If you're on dialysis for five years, you have a 50% mortality. You start going beyond that and your likelihood of living gets less and less. Alright, and the kidney is right inside this bag. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:02:41 Towana volunteered for a Xenotransplant. Dr. Robert Mongtomery 00:02:45 It was exciting. She wants to start a revolution, too, herself. I mean, she really believes in this. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:02:52 So much so that Towana helped make Tim Andrews a believer as well. Because along the way, when Tim had had his doubts, he called the only living person in the world who had gone through this. Tim Andrews 00:03:04 Hearing her saying, you know, just trust God, just trust God. It'll be okay. That made me feel easier. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:03:15 It has now been 60 days since his transplant, and Tim is settling back into life in Concord, New Hampshire. Today, we decided to bundle up and go for a walk. It's interesting because you say you feel better. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:03:28 No question about it, right? Tim Andrews 00:03:29 Absolutely no question about it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:03:31 What does that mean exactly? What feels better? Tim Andrews 00:03:35 Energy. I have energy. Whoop. I'm a little wobbly though. Ha ha ha ha. We got you. But I feel so much better and clearer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:03:49 None of this is easy. Taking 20 milligrams, they're fives. I mean, every day Tim sits at this makeshift mountain of medication guided by this big binder. It's a survival Bible of sorts. Tim Andrews 00:04:01 This is the book. Tells you what you're gonna take. We keep it in pencil because it changes a lot. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:04:09 Another reminder of how new this all is, there is a lot of experimentation with the right mix of meds and doses. In all, Tim takes 52 pills a day. Tim Andrews 00:04:19 And this is when it helps to be a 70s child. Ready? Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:04:25 'And several times a week an anti-rejection infusion directly into his blood. We were there for his two-month checkup as he had a battery of tests to look for any signs of infection, rejection, or reduced function. Doctor 00:04:45 We can actually identify if there's any issues with the kidney. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:04:49 'Worried about Tim's heart, the Boston medical team is also monitoring him 24-7 with this implanted loop recorder. It measures Tim's cardiac rhythm and warns of any potential abnormalities. Doctor 00:05:01 We're of course being just extra careful and cautious and ensuring things are in the right direction. Tim Andrews 00:05:08 And the little pig is right there so I can pat it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:05:11 Today's visit is all about this moment. Observing this ultrasound, that is an ultrasound of a pig kidney inside Tim. Something that very few people ever get to see. Dr. Leonardo Riella 00:05:21 And it looks exactly like a human kidney, so let me see all the blood flow throughout. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:05:27 Is there anything in there that makes. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:05:29 It clear that it's a pig kidney? Dr. Leonardo Riella 00:05:30 No, exactly like a human one. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:05:32 'And not only does it look like one, eight weeks post-operatively, it's acting like one. Dr. Leonardo Riella 00:05:37 But the level of kidney function is as good as we would expect from a human kidney transplant. We just are amazed every day we look at that blowwork. That's awesome good stuff, isn't it? Tim Andrews 00:05:49 No, no, no. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:05:51 Now there is one complication they're watching for very carefully, something that is unique to xenotransplants and could affect not only Tim, but his wife Karen as well, maybe all of us. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:06:05 One of the concerns is that if there is some sort of weird or strange virus in the pig and it gets into the human population through one of these transplants, might not only affect the patient, but people around the patient as well. Dr. Leonardo Riella 00:06:16 In all the studies that we're doing, we're not only monitoring the patient, but their close contacts. Tim Andrews 00:06:22 Because we don't know to this day, and we won't know for the rest of my life whether that can happen. So that's always in the background. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:06:33 Talking to scientists, this is one of their biggest concerns, accidentally unleashing a pig virus onto a susceptible human population. To avoid that they screen extensively, they even edit the genome of the pigs to inactivate those viruses. But the question is is that enough? Art Kaplan 00:06:53 Genetic engineering is a nice tool, but it's not 100% accurate yet. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:06:58 'World-renowned medical ethicist, Art Kaplan. Is it a big enough concern to sort of derail? Art Kaplan 00:07:04 No, I don't think so. I think it's a reason to be cautious, to really detect a problem early and then be able to shut it down or respond. Kathy Guillermo 00:07:14 I think it's a little bit of Russian roulette here. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:07:17 Kathy Guillermo is the Senior VP at PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and she thinks this is a big issue. Kathy Guillermo 00:07:25 I think when it comes to viruses and animals, there's so much that we don't know. There are people who, in addition to PETA, are opposed to these experiments for that reason. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:07:34 Now to be clear, there is nothing about xenotransplants that sits well with Kathy or anyone else at PETA. Kathy Guillermo 00:07:41 I don't think it could ever be okay to use an animal as a source of spare parts. For that animal, this is a life of deprivation. It's an early death. It's much suffering. And I don't think that's ever okay. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:07:56 Even if it means a choice between a pig life or a human death. Kathy Guillermo 00:08:00 'This was a situation my father was presented with, and my father was over 80, so he was not eligible for a transplant. And my father did die of end-stage renal disease, and he would not have taken an organ from a pig for ethical reasons. Art Kaplan 00:08:14 I think what the mainstream position will become among those caring about animals, loving animals, is that we're gonna tolerate this, we're going to look for alternatives to it that they would find more acceptable. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:08:31 And then there are the religious concerns. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:08:33 You have certain religions, Muslim religion, Jewish religion, who they won't eat pork. They don't eat pigs. Is transplanting a pig organ different in some way than consuming? Art Kaplan 00:08:46 You know, eating it. It's somewhat contentious. I, however, don't think that you're gonna see huge religious opposition. But you may see in some of the Islamic countries is human organs first, only go to the animal last resort. I could see that. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:09:04 A spiritual man, Tim also had his concerns. It's why he reached out to his church for guidance. Tim Andrews 00:09:10 I contacted the bishop and then the Vatican sent me a paper. They were working animals who were put on earth. God put them on the earth to serve us. And if they're service extends life and makes a better life, so be it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:09:30 So will these new kidneys create a better and longer life? You look really good when we come back. This is the future of transplantation, a heart, a liver, a kidney. These are organs that are grown, not in the body, but in the lab. David Ayeres 00:10:04 They're using a pig organ scaffold and resellularizing that with human cells. Also another group is 3D printing that scaffold, resellicularizing that with human cell, so multiple ways to generate a humanized organ for overcoming the shortage. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:10:22 The potential? Organs on demand. Could you get to the point where you could create a personalized organ for somebody? David Ayeres 00:10:30 Absolutely. Dr. Robert Mongtomery 00:10:31 I think that's gonna be the future. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:10:34 So an organ that would be designed for Robert Montgomery. David Ayeres 00:10:37 Personalized organs where we don't have to use any immunosuppression. Somebody starts to develop kidney disease. We take some of their stem cells from a piece of skin or some blood and we start to grow them up and then seed that scaffolding with that person's stem cells that then grow and mature, and then you have a designer organ for that person when they need it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:11:09 'Now to be clear, what he's describing is still years away, and that is why the focus is for now on these genetically modified pigs. Since the time we started investigating xenotransplantation about two years ago, things have taken off at a lightning pace, from compassionate use to a pilot study and now an FDA-approved clinical trial. Also, expect to see high-tech pig farms like these pop up in other places around the country and the world. David Ayeres 00:11:43 The next facility will be built, will have an output of about 6,000 organs per year, but that's still less than 10% of the demand for the unlimited supply of organs. Aaron Ortiz 00:11:55 This is a brand new building built specifically for human clinical trials. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:11:59 'Aaron Ortiz is in charge of scaling up United Therapeutics pig production. These are the highly specialized, designated pathogen-free buildings, DPF. They're built using FDA guidelines. It's what they call a bio-secure and pathogen free environment. This is not typical pig farm. Aaron Ortiz 00:12:18 Yeah, it looks like a biotech facility, to be honest, and the mechanics behind it. The pigs are drinking cleaner water than the employees that are working here, and they're breathing cleaner air here as well. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:12:29 And within this farm, there are also multiple sterile operating rooms. That's where transplant teams from around the country will come starting this summer to procure or harvest the organs. Aaron Ortiz 00:12:41 The reason we do the procurements here is to mitigate any variabilities that could occur during transport of the animal to the actual hospital site. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:12:49 So the concern was if you're actually moving the pig, that's a source of potential contamination. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:12:59 This is ultimately the biggest concern we heard from so many people that we interviewed for this documentary. They all ask, can the spread of disease from these pigs to humans really be controlled? And that is crucial, after all, to protect the population at large. Do you feel like at this point that is an achievable goal? Aaron Ortiz 00:13:24 We test them at day 30, we test them day 60, we test them a day 90, we tested quarterly. When they put into quarantine, if they're going for transplant, we will test them when they're in quarantine. And then we'll test the animal again, as we do the procurement of the organ. Make sure it's all straight. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:13:38 That's the sort of testing that was done on the pig kidney transplanted into Tijuana. And also on Raphael, Tim's kidney donor. Tim Andrews 00:13:48 That'll get everybody moving. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:13:51 A transplant that Tim is thankful for every day. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:13:56 Every Wednesday, he signs into this Zoom meeting from his kitchen table in New Hampshire. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:14:04 Hundreds of people from all over the country want to talk to him about his transplant. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:14:09 And that strikes me that you've done all this, but then you also take the time to do these calls. Tim Andrews 00:14:14 That was my promise. Give me this and I will spend the remainder of my life helping people get hope. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:14:26 It is the unspoken promise of pioneers. Pay it forward. Towana Looney 00:14:31 I want you to look at me. If I can do it, the next person can do it. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:14:41 Towana was the star at a recent medical conference, the Lake Nona Impact Forum. David Ayeres 00:14:46 The system will never be able to deliver enough organs. This is the promise for the future. And thank you for making that future happen. Towana Looney 00:14:58 You're welcome, thank you. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:15:00 'Mm-hmm. I was there and I can tell you the audience loved her. You look really good. You feel as good as you look? Towana Looney 00:15:10 Yeah, I do. Denyce Graves 00:15:11 My husband said, how do you feel about all this attention? She said, I love it. Towana Looney 00:15:17 I want the word to get out. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:15:21 But the thing about firsts, about pioneers, is that at any moment, their lives can be suddenly thrown into jeopardy. Tim Andrews 00:15:30 I woke up one morning and I was hurting so bad I couldn't walk or anything. And sure enough I had an infection. You can see the remains of it there. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:15:44 Tim was hospitalized for three weeks to treat the infection and prevent his kidney from being rejected. Dr. Leonardo Riella 00:15:50 It was a quite hard few days for him and for us as well, but fortunately we were able to overcome and we're in a better spot now. We hope this kidney continues for a long time. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:16:03 Turns out as Tim won his fight to keep his kidney, Towana lost hers. Like Tim, Tawanna got an infection, but she also started to reject her pig kidney. So in April, doctors had to remove it. Towona is back on dialysis. It had been 130 days. At the time, she was the longest survivor with a xenotransplant in history. But now soon, that distinction could belong to Tim. Tim Andrews 00:16:35 I don't want people to look at that and say, well, that's it, it didn't work. It worked. It just wasn't perfected yet. We're gonna have to get there Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:16:49 Science is like life. There are successes and there are failures, but you learn from both of them. Dr. Robert Mongtomery 00:16:57 We stand on the shoulders of giants for sure. It's extraordinary when you think about it. It took a lot of people doing their part to make this happen. Dr. Leonardo Riella 00:17:09 I think patients like Tim will be remembered as heroes. Tim Andrews 00:17:15 What this pig kidney has given me is freedom from this. And what I hope it gives you is hope. Don't give up. I see way too many people give up. Don't give up. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:17:34 Tim's future looks bright, and so does the future of this area of medicine. When do you think this might be available to the average persom? Dr. Robert Mongtomery 00:17:45 I think less than five years. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:17:51 Do you imagine the future now? Tim Andrews 00:17:53 Yeah, I do. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:17:55 Visiting grandkids. Tim Andrews 00:17:56 Visiting grandkids is going to be so much fun, you know, because they saw me at the lowest and now they'll be able to see me alive and laughing and carrying on like Grandpa does. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:18:11 That's great. Tim Andrews 00:18:12 It's gonna be awesome. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:18:16 On June 5, Tim Andrews became the longest living human with a pig kidney transplant. It's even given him the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. Tim Andrews 00:18:26 Well, I knew it was about that ball was going to go. Ha ha ha ha! Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:18:30 Which was throwing out the first pitch for his favorite team, the Boston Red Sox. And more importantly, finally getting to see his grandkids again. Tim Andrews, we all wish you well. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports Animal Farm is now available to stream on HBO Max. We'll be back next week with a new episode of Chasing Life. Thanks for listening.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Google's Sanjay Gupta Talks AI's Top Two Challenges And Importance Of ‘On-The-Go' Content In Asia — APOS
Google APAC president Sanjay Gupta called on the media and entertainment industries to embrace AI's opportunities, while acknowledging concerns around the protection of talent and creativity. Speaking to audiences at APOS, currently held in Bali, Gupta referred to this year's Google AI immersive production of 'The Wizard of Oz' at the Las Vegas Sphere as an example of AI's expansive opportunities for production and media. More from Deadline Viu & SBS' 'Taxi Driver' Season 3 Set To Air In Q4; 'My Youth' Starring Song Joong-Ki Will Premiere In Q3 - APOS UK Actors Union Says "Thousands Of Performers" Have Been "Digitally Scanned On Set Without Their Informed Consent" In Open Letter To Pact Signed By Emma D'Arcy, Tamsin Greig, Nicola Walker Warner Bros. Pictures Unveils Release Date For Chinese Co-Production 'Tom And Jerry: Forbidden Compass' Gupta called AI both a 'profound pivot' and a 'magic wand,' calling on audiences to imagine the creation of films that 'everybody can watch in real time in different languages.' However, he also acknowledged two major concerns about AI across the industry: the protection of talent, as well as creativity. 'The first concern is talent and what happens to talent,' said Gupta. 'We must think of AI as a tool that is augmenting us, that is a multiplier.' Gupta added that the second concern is about the protection of creativity, which he said requires extended engagement with stakeholders. He also highlighted that amid these technological developments, there is a sense of unprecedented times, even for him. 'This pace of change, I've never experienced before even in my decades of experience,' said Gupta. Beyond AI, Gupta also discussed the increase in screens and screen time around Asia, as well as the need to increase provision of 'on-the-go' content and formats. Gupta shared that the Asian region has 'four billion people each watching over seven hours of stories today across 5 billion screens.' He also noted a big shift towards watching 'on-the-go' content and across multiple screens, with Asia seeing a growth from roughly 2 billion screens around a decade ago, to 5 billion screens today. 'We are watching multiple genres and in a way that feels more and more personal. We are seeking stories for on-the-go consumption,' said Gupta. 'Throughout the day, we are switching screens.' He added that there is still a lot of room for growth in the region, with APAC contributing to around 15% of revenues globally. In creation and production, Gupta also acknowledged that creatives have increasingly used multiple formats and non-traditional media to tell their stories. 'They tell the story that they want to tell through videos long and short, through audio, images or games,' added Gupta. He added that there will be further integration between the digital and physical worlds, through augmented reality, smart glasses and other forms of technology. 'Digital will blend even more seamlessly with the physical world,' added Gupta. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far Everything We Know About The 'Reminders of Him' Movie So Far Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far
CNN
5 days ago
- Health
- CNN
How Far Are We from Animal Organs Saving Lives? - Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta - Podcast on CNN Audio
Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:00:03 'Welcome to Paging Dr. Gupta. This is one of my favorite parts of the week, because I get a chance to connect with you, to answer your questions, and to hear what's on your mind. I also often get to talk about some of the big medical developments that are shaping our lives. If you caught last week's episode, for example, you know that we've been diving into something that sounds very much like science fiction, but at the same time has become very real, quickly, xeno-transplantation, X-E-N-O, transplantation. That is the medical term for transplanting organs from one species into another. In this case, specifically from animals into humans. Even more specifically, from pigs into people. Now, I'm so fascinated by this. I spent two years working on a documentary and we covered everything from the special pig farms to operating rooms. Scientists, surgeons, and patients who are making this happen. I spent a lot of time with all of them. Today, I'm really excited to keep the conversation going by answering the many questions you guys sent in. So let's get into it. Kyra's back with us. What do we have, Kyra? What's up first? Kyra Dahring 00:01:20 Yeah, so Paul wrote in wondering something pretty fascinating about personalized organs, and I'm gonna read it to you. So he wrote: over the past two decades, work was happening in the area of using one's cell makeup to create an organ in the lab. Is this still an approach being considered? Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:01:37 Okay, Paul, this is a great question. And the answer is yes. There is work that is being done in this particular space of creating basically individualized organs. One of the efforts of a company known as United Therapeutics, they work in the xenotransplant area, one of their efforts is also in creating what can best be called ghost organs. And we got a chance to see this. So imagine this, okay, so you have a pig organ, maybe a pig heart in this case, and it essentially is cleansed using these detergents of all of its biology, of all its cells. The only thing left is the scaffolding of the organ, okay? And then that scaffolding is essentially repopulated, reseeded with human cells, a specific human cells. Now, if you think about that, that essentially now is a personalized organ for somebody. This approach, this idea of creating ghost organs, is still further off than where we are currently with xenotransplantation. But I think to your question, this is the future. These ghost organs that are repopulated with an individual's human cells to create a personalized organ, that may be what we can expect in the future, so for example, let's say you have cardiac disease or you have some sort of disease where you know you're gonna need a transplant in the feature. You could potentially create a personalized organ that would be ready to go when you need it. Before your condition gets too far along, scientists could take some of your cells, simply from your blood or your skin, grow those cells, and then use them to populate the ghost organ scaffolding. Not only do you have an organ designed for you, but because they are your cells immunosuppression, rejection, acceptance, that shouldn't be an issue. It is essentially your organ. Now stick around, after the break we're going to get into just how many of these pig kidneys have actually made it into humans, and the bigger question, could this really solve the organ shortage crisis? Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:03:54 Okay, we're gonna try and get to as many pages as possible. Kyra, what do we have next? Kyra Dahring 00:03:59 'Next is Ann from Kansas, and she wants to know, you know, how many pig kidney transplants have been done? Whether anyone's lived long-term with them? And if they use different anti-rejection meds than the typical transplant. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:04:14 'All right, first of all, how many kidney xenotransplants? Four in two living patients. And the reason I say living patients is because the first couple of transplants were actually done into patients who were brain dead. These were patients who had signed up to be organ donors, but instead in a way they became organ recipients when they were brain-dead. It was an opportunity for scientists to try and study, could these pig organs actually survive in the human body and they found that it worked. So in March of 2024, the first patient, a guy named Rick Slayman at Massachusetts General Hospital got a transplant, a xenotransplant, and he lived for two additional months. In April 2024, a month later, Lisa Pisano got a transplant, lived for a two additional month. A few months later, November of 2024 the third patient, Towana Looney at NYU got a pig kidney. She is still alive, but had to have the pig kidney removed after 130 days because of an unrelated infection. And then in January of 2025, this year, Tim Andrews, the fourth patient, he still has his xenotransplant and soon is gonna surpass 130 days, becoming the longest survivor in the world with a xenotransplant. Now, in addition to the four xeno kidney transplants, there have been two pig heart transplants as well, both at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. January of 2022, David Bennett lived for two additional months. September of 2023, Larry Faucette lived for an additional six weeks. Now, I just wanted to name everybody there because all the folks I just mentioned are pioneers. They volunteered, they put their hands up to do something that had never been done before. And they really sort of ventured out into the unknown. Very, very brave. And as a result of their efforts, they have really advanced science. That's why I wanted to give you all their names. Now, with regard to the second part of your question, the immunosuppression or the anti-rejection medications are very similar to what a human-to-human transplant would take, but typically at higher doses. So similar meds, but higher doses of the meds. And typically a few other drugs that have been added into the regimen, which have been shown to be effective so far in these early studies. The key to the success though, make no mistake, is the engineering of the pig's DNA to make it more similar to a human's. In some cases, there were some genes that were removed. In other cases, certain trans genes were added. So human genes actually added into pig's genome. All right, Kyra, what's our last question? Kyra Dahring 00:07:08 All right, Sanjay, we're wrapping up with one from Alia in Kuwait. She's asking a pretty big picture question: how far are we from this being a solution to the organ crisis? Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:07:19 Well, Alia, first of all, thanks for calling us from Kuwait. Five years. Five years is the number that I was given over and over again. Kidneys, in part, are going to be the first organs to really get to scale, but it sounds like they're also going to get to hearts, livers, and possibly lungs. We're about to enter clinical trials this summer with United Therapeutics, and we had a chance to visit the farm where they're raising the pigs for the trials. These are biosecure farms, look nothing like a typical farm. They have these filters and clean water and air. In some ways the food and the water and the air that the pigs are getting is even cleaner than what the humans are getting that work there. They have a high level of security. They have their operating rooms right there on campus. So they take the organs there and then send the organs directly to recipients around the country. I don't know, Alia, that I would necessarily say that this is going to solve the organ shortage crisis, but I think it's going to be a very important stopgap. Keep in mind, some of these farms can raise thousands of pigs, and there's a few of these farms around the country, but there's 100,000 people on the waiting list for organs in the United States alone. 17 people who die waiting for an organ. So we're going to need hundreds of thousands of organs potentially to try and solve the organ shortage crisis. And then there are a lot of people who don't currently qualify for transplant, even though they probably should, they're just not sick enough. Then the question becomes, could these pig organs start to supply organs to those folks as well? It's a fascinating field. It combines so many different scientific developments. IVF, cloning, CRISPR gene editing, transplant immunology, transplant surgery. All these scientific developments, some of them Nobel Prize winning developments, came together to create this field of xenotransplantation and potentially save and extend a lot of lives in the process. Dr. Sanjay Gupta 00:09:28 'Thanks for being so fascinated by this like I am and thank you for writing in your questions, sending in your question. I always love hearing what you're curious about. And if there's something else health related you've been wondering about, don't be shy, record a voice memo, email it to AskSanjay@ or give us a call, 470-396-0832, leave a message, and be sure to check out part two of our Chasing Life special on xenotransplantation. I'm gonna dive even deeper into what this breakthrough could mean for the future of medicine overall. The documentary is called Animal Pharm, P-H-A-R-M, and part two will be on the feed Friday. Thanks for listening, and I'll be back next Tuesday. Chasing Life is a production of CNN Audio. Our podcast is produced by Eryn Mathewson, Jennifer Lai, Grace Walker, Lori Galaretta, Jesse Remedios, Sofia Sanchez, Kyra Dahring, and Madeleine Thompson. Andrea Kane is our medical writer, our senior producer is Dan Bloom, Amanda Sealy is our showrunner, Dan Dzula is our technical director, and the executive producer of CNN Audio is Steve Lickteig. With support from Jamus Andrest, Jon Dianora, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Leni Steinhardt, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to Ben Tinker and Nadia Kounang of CNN Health and Wendy Brundige.
News18
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Director Sanjay Gupta Hints Bollywood Fakes Box Office Numbers; Fans Ask, 'Sitaare Zameen Par?'
Last Updated: Due to the post's timing, netizens on Reddit think Sanjay Gupta took a dig at Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par. Director and producer Sanjay Gupta has hinted in his latest X post that Bollywood might be faking its box office numbers. He wrote a cryptic post, sarcastically praising the film industry for delivering constant hits. His post caught everyone's attention, and on social media sites like Reddit, people are guessing if he took a dig at Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par. Sanjay Gupta wrote, 'We are living in such wonderful times… No film bombs at the box office. They all open to wonderful numbers. Sab changa hai 🙃🙃🙃." Due to the post's timing, netizens on Reddit think the post is a dig at Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par, which was released on June 20. One comment read, 'I think it was for Sitaare Zameen Par." Another read, 'Sitaare Zameen Par box office numbers giving sleepless nights to keyboard warriors." A few days later, Sanjay posted, 'For me, a sequel right up there with GODFATHER 2 was TERMINATOR 2. It was all and much more I wanted to see in a sequel. I'm just so glad I didn't watch a single one after T2. They were all so terrible." For me, a sequel right up there with GODFATHER 2 was TERMINATOR 2. It was all and much more I wanted to see in a sequel.I'm just so glad I didn't watch a single one after T 2. They were all so terrible.— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) June 23, 2025 Meanwhile, Aamir Khan's film Sitaare Zameen Par is shining bright at the box office. After just three days in theatres, the heartwarming sports comedy has raked in a solid Rs 57 crore net in India, according to Sacnilk. Directed by RS Prasanna and also starring Genelia Deshmukh, the film had a strong weekend run. Sitaare Zameen Par has been receiving a good response from the audience and critics alike for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling. Sitaare Zameen Par is inching closer to surpassing the lifetime India collection of Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha, which had wrapped up at Rs 61.36 crore. The film has already outperformed Kesari Chapter 2 (Rs 29.5 crore) and Sunny Deol's Jaat (Rs 26.25 crore) in just its first weekend. However, it still trails behind the likes of Salman Khan's Sikandar, which raked in Rs 74.5 crore in its opening weekend, and Akshay Kumar's Sky Force, which clocked Rs 62.25 crore. News18 gave 3.5 rating to Sitaare Zameen Par. A part of our review read, 'Unlike Taare Zameen Par's Nikumbh, Gulshan isn't perfect. This is a flawed, man-child character, dealing with his own traumas, learning to navigate life with the help of those who suffer developmental delays. So far, on paper, Sitaare Zameen Par seems rather fantastic, novel, and heartfelt. And don't get us wrong — it definitely is all of that. But it also has its share of flaws that become a bump in its path to becoming a great film. To start with, at 2 hours 39 minutes, the film appears to be an extremely long and slow-moving affair." First Published:
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Fake cardiologist and fraudulent bills: Meditirina Hospital faces scrutiny over identity theft and malpractice in Faridabad and Hisar
GURGAON: The private healthcare company that ran a centre at Faridabad 's BK Civil Hospital, where an under-qualified doctor committed an identity theft and operated on patients for months as a cardiologist, saw another centre – in Hisar – blacklisted in 2022 over fake bills. That, however, had no bearing on its contracts to run hospitals under the public-private-partnership ( PPP ) model in other parts of the state. Now, even as allegations of serious malpractice at the Faridabad centre are under investigation by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB), officials said talks continue with Meditirina Hospital Pvt Ltd to restart operations there. The heart centre at BK Civil Hospital's fourth floor was shut abruptly this Feb, four months after ACB filed an FIR under sections 120B criminal conspiracy,420 (cheating), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 203 (giving false information) and 467, 468 and 471 (forgery) of IPC on Oct 29, 2024, based on a complaint filed by a lawyer. A 'Temporaily Closed' sign now hangs outside its main door. The lone caretaker, who says he was hired 10 days ago, says he has no idea when the centre will reopen. A second FIR related to the Meditirina-run heart centre in Faridabad was filed on June 10 against SGM Nagar police station in Faridabad against the fake cardiologist and others. Allegations of malpractice made by the lawyer, Sanjay Gupta, in the Oct FIR include reusing equipment such as needles and catheters in surgeries. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Meditirina signed a contract with the state govt to run the heart centre in Faridabad in 2018. Meditirina also runs centres at Panchkula, Gurgaon and Ambala Cantt in Haryana, at Kollam, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, and at Jamshedpur and Chas-Bokaro in Jharkhand. Doctors at BK Civil hospital's other departments said Meditirina staffers took all patients' medical records, leaving them with no way to continue treatments for regulars at the heart centre. "Even emergency cardiac cases are being referred elsewhere. We are helpless," a senior physician said. The hospital does not have a separate cardiology department. Meena Devi, a Ballabhgarh resident who took her father to the heart centre regularly for checks, told TOI, "My father needs follow-ups after his stent procedure. Private hospitals are beyond our reach." The allegations Gupta told TOI he had to approach police because multiple complaints to the hospital management, the district's chief medical officer, and the health department did not elicit a response. He said it was in June 2024 that some patients' families and a former centre head hired by Meditirina reached out to him for help. The FIR lists the names of 39 patients who were allegedly treated with re-used devices. "According to guidelines of Medical Council of India and World Health Organization, reused wires, balloons and other equipment should not be used in the treatment of cardiac patients. Doing so poses a serious risk to the patient's life" the FIR reads. The complaint also alleges that Meditirina overcharged patients, issuing bills that exceeded govt-approved rates. Inflated reimbursement claims were also allegedly made in cases of patients who were covered under Ayushman Bharat or other schemes. Seven patients — four from the below-poverty line (BPL) category and three Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries — were named in the FIR, with their bills totaling to almost Rs 14 lakh. Mansingh Bhati, who was the centre head at the facility from 2018 to 2021, said he quit the job because of pressure to force doctors into reusing equipment and raising bill amounts. "Usually, the centre heads were forced to do all the dirty work. We were told to raise fake bills and bills of patients who were exempted. We were also told to use the same equipment again and again on multiple patients," he said. "ACB started investigating the case. As a result, govt halted its payments to the centre in Dec, and in Feb, the company abandoned the centre," Gupta added. The Meditirina CMD did not respond to multiple requests from TOI for a comment. The fake cardiologist While the centre was under scanned for malpractice, some patients in Jan this year found out that Dr Pankaj Mohan Sharma was masquerading as a cardiologist, though he was an MBBS graduate. Patients only found this out after reaching out to a practising cardiologist in the city, Dr Pankaj Mohan, whose identity and registration number was being used by the fake Dr Sharma. Dr Mohan filed a complaint with Indian Medical Association (IMA) the same month and issued a legal notice to Dr Sharma. Asked for his degree by the hospital, Dr Sharma stopped reporting to the heart care centre in Feb. By then, he had operated on 50 patients, including some who underwent critical surgeries. Ram Krishan, who was among those to reach out to Gupta, told TOI his father was 76 years old and had to get a stent in Jan 2025. The surgery, he added, was done by Dr Sharma. "The procedure went wrong. The stent was inserted at 12pm on Jan 11, and he passed away as there were issues during the procedure. I didn't know at the time that the doctor was unqualified," Krishan said. Other than Dr Sharma, the FIR filed in June names four Meditirina officials, including its chief managing director Dr N Pratap Kumar. Asked about the cases, Haryana director general of health services Manish Bansal told TOI the department is looking into each issue separately. "We are trying to resolve the matter. We are also in talks with the (Meditirina) management to restart the centre, keeping in mind the patients. There are various issues that need to be handled carefully in the case before we go any further," Bansal said. Faridabad's chief medical officer Dr Jayant Ahuja said ACB is probing the malpractice case. "The partner hospital walked out. An ACB investigation is currently underway. I can't comment on the matter as I don't have any records," he said. According to a govt official, the Kerala-based Meditirina's centre that was blacklisted for producing fake bills used to run out of Hisar's Maharaja Agrasen Medical College.
