Can We Build a Bionic Gallbladder?

What this episode covers

Twenty percent of gallbladder removal patients develop chronic post-cholecystectomy syndrome — diarrhea, bile reflux, and nutrient malabsorption. The obvious question: has anyone built a replacement? This episode traces the history of failed attempts, from 1970s external bile bags to a DARPA-funded shape-memory polymer pouch at MIT and a bioartificial gallbladder grown from pig scaffolds at Wake Forest. We break down why the gallbladder is harder to replace than it looks, and what the closest working prototypes actually do.

PodParley-generated summary based on available episode metadata and transcript content.