"I Bought a Luxury Heart Today"...The Bizarre World Artificial Organs Will Bring [Reading Science]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] In the not-so-distant future, mass production and distribution of bio-artificial organs may open an era of human disease-free longevity. It will be possible to replace desired body parts such as skin, joints, bones, and various organs. ‘Customized body design’ will become feasible. Even in an aging society, if transplantation is possible whenever an organ becomes diseased, it will not be a problem. The artificial organ market is already growing rapidly.

According to Global Market Insights, the market size is expected to grow globally from $2.8 billion in 2015 to $30.9 billion by 2025. Forward and backward industries such as regenerative medicine tissue production, bio-artificial organ manufacturing equipment, parts, and materials industries are also expected to develop simultaneously. Artificial prosthetics, brain-machine interface (BCI) technology, and medical animal production industries are also considered promising fields. Related service industries such as consulting and medical tourism related to artificial organ transplantation are emerging, and hospitals are beginning to offer one-stop services for artificial organ production and transplantation. The existing medical market is expected to be reorganized to allow choosing between drug treatment and organ transplantation. In particular, a giant monopoly company in the bio-artificial organ field may emerge, similar to today’s big tech (large information technology companies). This is because massive capital investment is required, convergence and fusion of various technologies are essential, and there is a high dependence on core patents and new technologies.

▲Mini heart. [Photo by Nature Communications]

Significant remaining obstacles also exist. In the case of xenotransplantation, resolving immune rejection is a major challenge. Cell-based artificial organs carry risks of immune rejection and infection/transmission when using cells from others. There is also concern that during the cell differentiation process, cells may differentiate into cancer cells or unwanted tissues. Electromechanical artificial organs must address risks of hacking and malfunction. Socially, many challenges remain. It inevitably becomes a cause of social inequality. For example, the recently developed immune therapy in the U.S. costs about 500 million KRW annually, AstraZeneca’s third-generation targeted anticancer drug costs about 100 million KRW per year, and an artificial heart costs about 150 million KRW. Even for the same organ, if there are budget and premium versions based on price, it can create discord between social classes. People may feel superiority or inferiority under the name of ‘luxury organs.’

Especially if life and death diverge based on economic ability, it becomes a source of social conflict. How to treat those who have artificial organs and gain stronger physical functions is also an issue. Should a person with an artificial organ who becomes an athlete be allowed to participate in international competitions or not? An increase in national healthcare financial costs is also expected. Illegal organ trade may decrease, but there could be cases where organs are stolen or robbed at some point. Electromechanical artificial organs could be hacked and bodily functions arbitrarily controlled by others. In fact, in 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled a pacemaker company due to concerns about hacking risks.