A microscope image showing the thymus agefotostock/Alamy
A thigh implant, which produces immune cells to fight infections, allows infants to live longer than they would otherwise.
Five out of every million American children are missing the thymus, an organ located above the heart that houses important immune cells called T cell. Children without this organ have no means of fighting infection and often die before they reach the age of 3.
Mary Louise Markert, Duke University in North Carolina
