The U.S. government says it is investing $200 million to help reduce the wait time for organ transplants, including a program to advance the science of tissue repair.
The investment, led by the Defense Department, brings together funds and expertise from the government, universities, companies and non-profits.
The plan includes more than $160 million in public and private funding to create the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which will help develop ways of fabricating tissue.
Grants will also be given to small businesses that are trying to improve organ and tissue preservation to allow more time for transplantation.
The investments were announced Monday at an organ donor summit hosted by the White House.
White House officials say more than 120,000 people in the United States are on a donor waiting list, with the vast majority of those needing a kidney.
Social media sites Facebook, Tinder and Twitter say they are developing new options for donor registration declarations to try to increase the number of potential organ donors.
