(CNN) — Doctors at New York University say two new studies show that they are a significant step closer to making kidney transplants from other species a real option in the near future.

Scientists have been searching for years for an alternative to human transplants because the donor supply cannot keep up with demand, particularly where kidneys are concerned.

More than 90,000 people in the US are waiting for a kidney transplant, and about 11 of them die every day, according to UNOS , the nonprofit that manages the nation’s organ donation system. But with an aging population and the rise in conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, the need will only grow.

Dialysis can keep a person with end-stage kidney disease alive, but the process can be hard on the body and can

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