Pennsylvania took place unique trials: Scientists used a genetically modified pork liver to maintain human life. In the experiment conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and the Biotechnological Company Egenesis, the pig liver was connected to the body of a man whose brain died. Within three days, his blood circulated through a pork organ placed in a special device the size of a refrigerator.
This innovative technique, called the extrorporepal (outside the body) liver, is designed to help people suffering from acute liver failure caused by infection, poisoning, or alcohol abuse. This approach can give the liver a chance to recover or support the patient before transplantation.
The key achievement of this experiment is the use of genetically modified pig organs made more compatible with human tissues. This is the last of the tests on the transplantation of organs from pigs that were developed in such a way as to minimize the risk of rejection.
Mike Curtis, General Director of Egenesis, claims that the company also tests pork buds and hearts transplanted by the Babuin and intends to use them in people in the future. However, the extracorporeal liver can become a product faster, ready for clinical trials.
This experiment began on December 22 when the family of an elderly man who died after hemorrhage in the brain agreed to use his body in research. During the experiment, the pork liver was installed in the ORGANOX company, usually used to preserve transplanted human organs.
Unusual in this methodology is that, unlike hearts and kidneys, pork liver are probably not suitable for direct transplantation for a person due to the risk of an immune reaction. Adam Gricemer, surgical director of the Nyu Langone Transplantology Institute, believes that extracorporeal use may be the only use of pig liver.
This breakthrough can open a new era in transplantology, providing the possibility of using animal organs to maintain human life for a limited period of time, which is especially important in the acute need for transplantation.