Pig-To-Human Heart transplants Were Performed by U.S. Doctors
The Doctors at the New York University (NYU) Langone Health, which is an academic medical centre, have successfully transplanted two genetically engineered pig hearts into recently deceased people.
On Wednesday, the team had announced that the surgeries, which are known as xenotransplants, were performed on the 16th of June and the 6th of July at NYU Langone.
The transplanted hearts were procured from pigs with 10 genetic modifications which included four porcine gene knockouts to prevent rejection and abnormal organ growth.
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Included as well were six human transgenes (knock-ins) so as to promote the expression of proteins that regulate important biologic pathways that can be disrupted by incompatibilities between pigs and humans.
The pig hearts were transplanted into recently deceased donors that were maintained on ventilator support.
According to the team, there were no signs of early rejection that were observed in either organ, and the hearts functioned normally with standard post-transplant medications and without any additional mechanical support.
The team stated that the latest advances in xenotransplantation had moved the field closer to realising a new supply of organs for those who were facing a life-threatening disease.
