The organ transplant animals on humans ever be possible? The question deserves to be raised after the announcement of the success of a xenograft (transplant where the donor and the recipient are of two different species). The heart transplantgenetically modified pigs on baboons allowed them to live with this transplant for six months. This is the longest survival ever observed for this type of transplant. This feat is recounted in an article published on December 5 in the Nature journal.
The hearts of 14 young pigs were transplanted into 14 male baboons from February 2015 to August 2018. All hearts were genetically modified.
The primates have been divided into three groups. Only five survived the transplant and received antihypertensive therapy – because systolic blood pressure is lower in pigs than baboons – along with additional drug therapy, reports CNN. All five primates showed good heart function one month after transplantation. Two of them survived “in good general condition” for 195 and 182 days, respectively.
Promising results for human transplants
This is the first time that a living pig’s heart has managed to function for so long in a baboon. This success points to the possibility of one day transplanting animal hearts to humans on time and in so doing address the shortage of heart organs needed for heart transplants. The researchers believe that similar results could be obtained in human patients. But this scenario remains hypothetical for the moment since no test is planned on humans. This possibility still requires removing certain ethical and scientific obstacles, as explained to CNN Charles Murry, specialist in cardiovascular pathologies and director of the Institute for Research on The stem cellsand regenerative medicine from the University of Washington. “I don’t think we are ready for this step yet, neither scientifically nor socially, he points out. We need to know more about the long-term immune response against an organ foreign and whether there is evidence of transmission of viruses or other disease agents. “
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