Thousands of humans die every year due to a lack of available organs for transplantation. A decrease in human organ donors means a lack of available livers for people who need transplantation. Among these, the liver, a vital organ in the human body, is the cause of many health issues and deaths. For many years, scientists have studied the idea of xenotransplantation, which involves the transplantation of non-human organs into the human body. Previous studies involved primate organs, but recent discoveries have found that we can successfully use organs from pigs.
Recently, pigs’ livers have been modified to look and act like human livers. These bioengineered pig livers can help ease transplant shortage through replacement organs. The organs used are leftovers from slaughterhouses, which provides a better use for these otherwise-discarded organs.
The process of bioengineering pig livers involves several steps to ensure they won’t be treated as a foreign substance and attacked by the human body. First, the pig cells that make the organ work are removed from the liver, leaving only the structure or “scaffolding”. Next, human liver cells are added back into the liver in replacement. After this organ is “regrown” it is ready to be introduced to the body for testing. This knowledge continues to improve, as a recent patient lived for 2 months after receiving a pig organ transplant.
Last year, about a quarter of donated livers and kidneys in the U.S. were discarded due to imperfections or inability to find a match. However, these organs could eventually provide the human cells required for bioengineered livers. One human organ has the potential to grow enough cells to populate multiple pig liver scaffolds.
In conclusion, over 105,000 people in the U.S. are actively waiting for an organ transplant. Thousands will die or not receive help due to a lack of organs or risky conditions. However, these new technologies may offer a solution by increasing the supply of organs to make up for the current shortage.
RELATED STORIES
- https://apnews.com/article/science-health-biology-organ-transplants-minneapolis-1522fa40ec69e565d8c1c90e7c85deda
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5030131/
- https://www.wired.com/story/gene-edited-liver-attached-to-person/
- https://www.eujtransplantation.com/article/view/271
- https://www.science.org/content/article/successful-pig-organ-transplants-offer-hope-human-patients
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