eGenesis, a Massachusetts company, started to perform swine heart transplant tests in baboons to pave the way for similar transplants to be made in human babies.
The company has one of the most unique goals in recent years: to transplant pig hearts to human babies who are on the verge of death and suffering from serious heart problems, giving them time to live longer while they wait for a human organ.
The idea of using animal organs and tissues, known as xenotransplantation, is old: the first experiments were made in the 17th century. More recent attempts were made in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. Many of these used organs from monkeys and baboons. However, in the early 1990s, consensus was reached that pigs were the best donor candidates.
They developed a technique to edit the CRISPR genes of these organs for a successful heart transplant. Before testing on human infants, eGenesis team will practice on 12 baby baboons. Two of these surgeries have been performed so far, and none of the animals have survived more than a few days.
The first baboon died the day after surgery. According to the researchers, the animal had to be euthanized because of a “surgical complication.” So did the second baboon, with the surgeons failing to keep the baboon’s blood vessels connected to those of the pig.
In any case, both eGenesis and other companies in the industry are confident. “Many recipients of early liver transplants also did not survive, but thousands of people have already benefited from these transplants,” says Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute.
After the baboon test was completed, the eGenesis team plans to offer pig heart transplants to babies under the age of two born with serious heart problems. These children have limited treatment options: human hearts of the right size are rare, and some devices used to treat heart problems in adults are not suitable for young children with small hearts.
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Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
