Every day people die all over the world. They are dying while waiting for organs for transplantation. They simply do not have enough donors - the demand is too great. Xenotransplantation - the transfer of living cells, tissues or organs from animal to human - can help us meet this demand for organs. Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have developed a series of trials that will help determine how safe and successful xenografts of the future will be.
Thanks to the CRISPR gene editing technique, we can modify animals in such a way that the recipient person is less likely to reject the transplanted organs. However, rejection is not the only possible problem. There is also the possibility that the transplanted organ will contain a virus or infection that will make the recipient sick.
Pig organs to man. Is it possible?
To ensure that pig organs do not contain any infectious passengers, UAB scientists have developed quantitative assays - procedures that are designed to determine the presence, quantity or activity of a target - for 30 infectious agents that, in theory, could pass from pig to human.
After testing the samples on 9 sows and 22 piglets, the scientists determined they were "very sensitive" and obtained results comparable to those used to test for viruses in humans. They hope their analyzes can help usher in the era of organ xenotransplantation.
Its time to begin. Pigs will save the world.
Ilya Khel
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