Prev Histopathology (H&E) of (A) healthy (non-transplanted) pig liver, (B) baboon liver 31 days after allotransplantation, and (C–F) WT pig liver after pig-to-baboon xenotransplantation. Credit: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/14014/1/Genetically-Engineered_Pig.pdf
22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant and 10 minutes someone is added to the national transplant waiting list. #Revivicor is producing genetically engineered pigs to provide #human-compatible #cells. This would be relevant for organs and tissues for use in transplant surgery, ie #xenografts.
Antonio Regalado, senior editor for biomedicine for MIT Technology Review said the team has done nothing less than “shattering records in xenotransplantation, or between-species organ transplants.” They have kept a pig #heart alive in a #baboon for 945 days. They also reported the longest-ever #kidney #swap between these species, lasting 136 days. said Regalado. Their approach: The pigs are “humanized” with the addition of as many as 5 human genes. They designed the strategy to #stop organ #rejection.
To beat the rejection problem last year, researchers started trying to genetically modify the animals. One major step, said Regalado, came in 2003 when David Ayares, a cofounder of Revivicor, created pigs with organs #lacking a #sugar molecule normally lining their #blood #vessels. That molecule was the major culprit behind hyperacute rejection. In addition, the team made pigs with more #human #genes. The genetic changes make the organs more compatible with a human body.
The idea of genetically modified pigs as a link to helping to save human lives is potentially headed for static outside of biotechnology research circles. Kenrick Vezina, Genetic Literacy Project , wrote last year that ” pig-grown organs would see push-back, not least of all because creating a supply of genetically modified pigs would raise all the same #ethical concerns as raising the animals for meat in addition to pushing the ‘unnatural’ button common in opponents of biotech.” Regardless, said Vezina, “pig-grown organs do seem to be coming.”
Prof Bruno Reichart, called the survival of these pig hearts “a major breakthrough.” He said, “It gives us all hope that #cardiac xenotransplantation works.” At the same time, he cautioned against assuming the transplants in humans are just around the corner. “It wouldn’t be serious to give a time line for use in humans.” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/xen.12174/abstract
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-08-genetically-pigs-advance.html
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