Jakarta –
For the first time, researchers in China conducted research to grow kidneys containing human cells in pigs’ bodies. This is interpreted as a big step in future transplantation.
Reported The Guardian, the research involved creating human-pig chimeric embryos containing a combination of human and pig cells. When transferred to surrogate sows, the developing embryos were shown to have kidneys containing mostly human cells.
“Our approach enhances the integration of human cells into recipient tissue and allows us to grow human organs in pigs,” said senior author Liangxue Lai, of the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Wuyi University.
Researchers genetically modified pigs to create space for human cells to grow with less competition from pig cells. They also modify human cells so that they can survive in environments that are not their natural environment.
The aim of this experimental research is to use technology to create organs from patient cells, and the pigs essentially function as incubators, reducing the risk of rejection during transplantation. The team is also working to produce other human organs in pig embryos, including hearts and pancreas.
This is not the first time scientists have created a human-pig chimera, an organism containing the DNA of two different species named after mythical Greek monsters. A team of scientists including Jun Wu, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, did just this in 2017.
Watch the video “A number of pig organs have been transplanted into human bodies”
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2023-09-09 02:20:32
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