Scientists Grow Humanized Kidneys In Pig Embryos

Scientists Grow Humanized Kidneys In Pig Embryos

Scientists grow humanized kidneys in pig embryos (sciencenews.org)

Kidney transplant - Mayo Clinic

The article discussed how human cells were grown in pig embryos to form viable organs. The primary use was to be able to supply organs to those who are waiting on the transplant list. More than 100,000 people one waiting on the transplant list for an organ. According to the Mayo Clinic,  kidney transplant provides better quality of life, lower risk of death, fewer dietary restrictions, and lower cost of treatment compared to dialysis. The article explained how the human kidney has more than 70 cell types and scientists would have to replicate it. The kidney grown in the pig embryo was made out of 50-60% of human cells. Although the scientists haven't reached their goal of making a full human kidney they believe that they have made some progress. I found this article interesting because I wasn't aware that creating human kidneys in pig embryos was possible. The purpose of this experiment was to provide kidneys to those who needed them, which would end up saving their lives. 

Scientists grow humanized kidneys in pig embryo

 Scientists grow humanized kidney in pig embryo 

    Scientists have recently been able to successfully grow a kidney made mostly of human cells in pigs' embryos. This is a big step for research pertaining to creating viable organs for transplants. This is the first time that an organ containing mostly human cells has grown inside of an organism of another species. Stem cell biologist Liangxue Lai and his team at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health in China were able to make this possible after 5 years of research and refining models. The problem at first was that nobody was able to induce the embryos to make organs because they contained multiple cell types. Lai and his team found the solution when they realized they could modify the human cells using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 to increase the activity of multiple genes. This change made it so that the human cells were able to fight back the pigs' cells. 

    A little part of me does think it's a bit weird they are growing inside of pigs and I wonder if this could be a gateway to diseases that are carried by pigs. However, I really believe that this is truly a ground-breaking discovery. Research shows that there are over 100,000 people on the transplant list in the United States and most of those people need kidney transplants. This is definitely a really important advancement and it is a great help to those who need it. It's amazing that after all these years of research, a team was able to modify something to change the whole course of this research. It would be interesting to see other organs being grown in pigs or even other organisms in the future.

LINKS:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/grow-human-kidney-pig-embryo

https://www.science.org/content/article/early-stage-human-kidneys-grown-pigs-first-time

Tardigrades Can Resist Radiation

Wouldn't it be convenient and genius if there could be a way that allows humans to resist radiation damage? Well now that can be possible all due to Tardigrades- commonly known as Water Bears. Water Bears are incredible since they can survive in below freezing temperatures and in 300 degree temperatures. They can also go without eating or drinking for about 30 years. These organisms possess an unique protein that allows them to tolerate extreme amounts radiation. This unique shielding protein is called Dsup. Prior to recent research, scientist thought that this protein repaired the damage that radiation caused instead of halting radiation damage all together. Scientists isolated this protein and inserted it into human cells. Results showed that human cells did not possess radiation damage after taking an X-Ray. Water bears are great at handling dehydration too. If scientists can pin-point this enzyme, then this enzyme can aid in the transportation of skin grafts and organs. There are many discoveries in the making that can greatly help the human population.

Adult Human Cells Cloned for First Time

It has finally happened we can clone human cells. Ever since Dolly the Sheep was cloned in 1996, scientists have been trying to do the same thing with human cells. The researchers replaced the original DNA in an unfertilized egg with the donor DNA, and then cultured the cells in a lab dish. The stem cells, which were an exact match to the donor's DNA, can then be turned into various tissue types. These tissue cells can be used for Alzheimer's, cancer, and could even be used for dead cells. The technique works by removing the nucleus from an unfertilized egg and replacing it with the nucleus of a skin cell. An electric shock causes the cells to begin dividing until they form a blastocyst,this is when the inner cell mass, which subsequently forms like an embryo. Another technique is using the    blastocyst which is then implanted into a womb, but with this technique the cells would be harvested to be used to create other organs or tissues not a full grown clone. This technique is very close to being able to clone humans but not just yet. I believe cloning people will only be a few more years. But this study does lead to helping against cancer and it also makes new organs and tissue for those who need it.