Baboon carries pig heart for more than two years

German and American scientists were able to maintain a pig heart inside a baboon's body for more than two years, creating a breakthrough in the field of organ transplantation.

Researchers hope the breakthrough in transplanting pig hearts into primates will pave the way for use in humans. Photo: Africa Studio.

According to UPI, the immune system complicates cross-species organ transplants. Normally, the recipient body will reject the new organ. In the study published on April 5 in the journal Nature Communications, scientists used genetic engineering and immunosuppressant drugs to prevent the baboon's body from rejecting the pig heart.

The heart was taken from a pig genetically modified to be more compatible with the baboon's immune system. A special regimen of drugs and antibodies ensured the immune system did not overreact.

In the experiment, five baboons were implanted with pig hearts while their own hearts remained in their bodies. The pig hearts were simply connected to the circulatory system while the baboons' hearts continued to pump blood. The pig hearts continued to beat for 945 days.

The milestone breaks the previous pig-to-primate heart transplant record the team achieved over the past five years, according to a report from the US Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Pigs, which have similar genetic and physiological characteristics to humans, are a potential source of organs for human transplants. With the number of patients waiting for organ donations increasing, scientists are researching safer and more effective ways to perform cross-species organ transplants.

According to VNE

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