Replacement Organs

From heart attacks to kidney failure, many of the causes of death come from one or more of our organs not working properly. One way to solve that problem is to clone replacement parts from your own cells ahead of time, so if you need a new lung, it’s ready to go. And since you’re implanting something made from your own DNA, there’s no risk of tissue rejection.

The technology for this already exists: heart valves, ears, and fingers have been successfully grown in a lab, and replacement bladders have been transplanted into patients in the United States. The doctors behind that triumph are awaiting full FDA approval for more operations. Human lifespans gained about 30 years when most infectious diseases were wiped out; ending tissue failure as a cause of death could add 30 more.