Fourth Transplant Patient Dies, Proving Again That Pig Organs Are for Pigs, Not Humans

 

    In an era of improving technology, scientists are trying to find a way to use animal organs as human transplants. But is this actually working? What are the consequences to the animal, and is it safe for humans to use it? In an article published in May 2024 and updated in July 2024, PETA reported on cases of animal organ transplants and data revolving around the outcomes. 

    While the idea of using animal organs as human transplants sounds promising, the results have not been very effective. Updated in July 2024, four patients receiving an organ transplant from genetically altered pigs have died, continuing the 100% failure rate of xenotransplantation. The author emphasized: 

"Humans need organs. But in case this has escaped anyone’s attention, pigs and other animals also need theirs. They don’t belong to us." (PETA, 2024). 

    And as my previous blog discussed, Japan's new legislation on creating human chimera to create more opportunities for xenotransplantation has allowed scientists there to have more chances to conduct deeper research on the topic. The approach from Japanese scientists is more promising in terms of success in transplanting, as it was cultured with stem cells, therefore creating a higher chance that the human body would accept it. But this also raises a major question about bioethics: whether or not this is an ideal way to do transplanting, what regulations can be passed to control these controversial studies, and to what point is the experiment too extreme? 

WORKS CITED

PETA (2024). Fourth Transplant Patient Dies, Proving Again That Pig Organs Are for Pigs, Not Humans. https://www.peta.org/blog/pig-kidney-transplant-patient-dies/

Pontbriand, H. D. (2019). Pig-human chimeras: a clinical trial announced in Japan. Bioethics News. https://bioethics-news.com/2019/05/13/pig-human-chimeras-a-clinical-trial-announced-in-japan/ 

Pig-human chimeras: a clinical trial announced in Japan

 

    In an article published in 2019 on Bioethics Press Synthesis, Henrianne introduced one of the new advancements in biology and the medical field, but it is also one of the most controversial experiments in recent years. 

    In this era, there is a high demand for organ transplants. In the past, the organs were mostly from human donors. But as science becomes more advanced, we have found ways to use organs from animals to transplant for those in need, rather than waiting for a donor, which is very rare. In 2019, a Japanese researcher, Hiromitsu Nakauchi, announced his new experiment in Japan to culture human pancreas in pigs. This was proposed soon after Japan had relaxed its chimera law. 

    In this experiment, he planned to inject human induced pluripotent stem cells into genetically modified pig embryos. The result after these cells are injected was described as: 

"These iPS cells will take the place of the removed gene in the embryos to create a human pancreas. The chimera embryo will then be implanted into a carrier sow’s uterus. The foetus will be removed before birth to study how much pancreatic tissue is derived from human iPS cells and how it functions." (Pontbriand, 2019). 

This is a big advancement in the study of chimeras. But at this time, these animal-human chimera embryos can only be implanted into animals; implanting chimeric embryos into humans is still prohibited. 

WORKS CITED

Pontbriand, H. D. (2019). Pig-human chimeras: a clinical trial announced in Japan. Bioethics News. https://bioethics-news.com/2019/05/13/pig-human-chimeras-a-clinical-trial-announced-in-japan/

Raposo, V. L. (2021). The new Japanese regulation on human/non-human chimeras: should we worry? National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7863089/

Are Genetically Modified Pigs the future of Organ Transplantation?

Are Genetically Modified Pigs the future of Organ Transplantation? 

Imagine needing a life-saving organ, and there aren't enough donors to get it. Now, picture receiving that organ from a Pig. Sounds Crazy, Right?. Well, it's not that wild, scientists are already making this happen. Now, in the U.S. there are more than 100,000 people waiting to receive an organ, so researchers are looking to genetically modified pigs as a potential solution. So far, there are two biotech companies, Revivicor and eGenesis which are cloning pigs with modified genes to make their organs more compatible with humans. These pigs are specially designed so their organs won't trigger the human immune rejection and recently, the FDA has approved these organs for clinical trials.

         As of now, there have been six patients that have been transplanted with pig's organs. The first four patients were very ill, and showed mixed success, as three patients survived for few months, while one died after 3 months after transplantation, but it's kidney was removed after 1.5 months. However, the real hope came when these organs were transplanted into healthier patients, from which Tawana Looney who was transplanted with pig's kidney, was almost immediately transformed and has been living with a pig's kidney for past three months, and another patient Tim Andrews, who also received a pig's kidney is also doing incredibly well. 

        The idea of Xenotransplatation, (process of using non-human cells, tissues and organs, like pig kidneys, to treat human medical conditions) seems something from a movie, but it could actually save lives. There must be various ethical concerns, but the major risk I think is, getting infected with virus from pigs. But, if this works, this could be a game changer for people who are stuck on dialysis or waiting years for donor organs. 
    

Genetically Modified Pigs Aiding in the Shortage of Organs for Transplants

Over 100,000 individuals remain on the waiting list for an organ transplants, and tragically, about 17 individuals perish daily due to the unavailability of suitable organs. In response to this critical shortage, scientists are diligently researching the feasibility of utilizing genetically modified pigs to address this pressing medical need.

Nestled discreetly near Blacksburg, Virginia, lies a secret farm comprising 22 meticulously maintained buildings housing roughly 300 pigs. These pigs serve as subjects for extensive research aimed at exploring their potential in human organ transplantation. Referred to as a "barrier facility," these buildings must maintain absolute sterility to shield the pigs from any potential pathogens. The journalist working on the article emphasized the rigorous sterilization process implemented before entering the pig-containing premises. 

The process of genetically modifying these pigs involved sophisticated technology to edit the DNA in their skin cells. Following editing, similar techniques that were used on Dolly the Sheep are utilized to generate cloned pig embryos. A tiny pipette is employed to penetrate the egg and extract DNA, removing the majority of genes. Subsequently, edited cells are fused with emptied eggs using electrical stimulation, initiating cell division and resulting in the formation of new embryos. These embryos are then surgically implanted into female pigs, and within a span of four months, cloned piglets are born. These piglets contain ten genetic modifications ensuring their suitability for organ transplantation and compatibility with recipients. 

However, amidst the potential medical breakthroughs, ethical concerns arise. Many question the morality behind modifying, breeding, and ultimately slaughtering these animals for human benefit. L. Syd Johnson, cited in the article, denounces the process as an act of "hubris," likening it to the treatment of animals as mere machinery. I agree with this statement; the entire process is deeply disconcerting. While modern medicine continues to extend human lifespans, we must pause and reflect on the ethical boundaries we are willing to transgress. Though this procedure holds promise in saving lives and mitigating transplant wait times, it compels us to confront the profound moral implications of our technological advancements.

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

The Next Heart Transplant Could be from a Pig!

Thanks to research that is currently being done, people waiting for organs may soon be able to receive organ donations from pigs.  The current research is housed at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  Over the last 10 years they have been transplanting pig hearts into baboons to see if they could survive with them.  On a daily basis, about 22 people die waiting for an organ that they need.  The researchers at the NIH have been able to keep a baboon alive for 3 years!! These shocking results do not mean that they can start using pig organs in humans yet, but they are one step closer.  People never believed in transplanting organs from one species to another, which is known as xenotransplantation.

When an organ is moved from one species to another, it may provoke an intense attack from the host’s immune system. The researchers have been working with different drugs to try to stop such an intense immune response.  One they found to work the best was CD40.  This drug blocks the communication that occurs between certain immune cells. It works by binding to a receptor in the surface of the cells.  They were using CD40 along with Heparin, a blood-thinning drug, to see if it would prevent the immune response in the baboons with the implanted pig hearts.  It worked while the baboons were on the drug, but once the researchers took the drug away and it left the system, they started to reject the hearts.   These experiments proved that if humans started to receive pig organs, they might have to be on a drug to support their immune system and prevent infection.

This is one step closer to being able to save more lives.  I knew that they were trying to get pig organs to be able to be transplanted in humans, but I never knew that they were this far into the research. Hopefully someday they will be able to make the pig organ work in humans without an immune response.  They are working diligently to delete the gene that causes the response in the host's body.  

Human organs may be created by editing pig DNA

Beginning in 1990, researchers began experimenting with transplanting pig organs into humans. This is known as xenotransplantation. They began this research so humans would not have to wait for another human to die to use their organs. The experiments were halted in 1998 due to the discovery of “viral genes” in the pigs DNA known as PERVs. Further research has shown that humans host the same endogenous retroviruses. When pig cells were mixed with human cells in a petri dish, they observed that the pig cells had infected the human cells. The researches tried to rid the pigs of the retroviruses, it seemed impossible because they seemed to be a part of the pigs’ genomes’.

                Beginning of 2013, scientists lead by Dr. Church have been using the Crispr technique to edit the genes of PERVs, and turned out that they could contain them within the pigs genome. With more thorough testing, they found 62 PERVs within the genome. They also found out that the DNA was almost identical from each human and pig virus. The scientists then engineered genes that produced specific enzymes to hunt the PERVs and eradicate them of their viral DNA. After two weeks, the viral DNA was destroyed. The biggest accomplishment came after the genomic surgery, where the pig cells began to grow normally and chromosomes had no mutations.

                Dr. Church and the scientists have finally discovered one molecule that could change all 62 genes singlehandedly. The next step in their research is to edit genes that wouldn’t alert the human immune system so the organ transplants can be successful. Dr. Dunn said “This work brings us closer to a realization of a limitless supply of safe, dependable pig organs for transplant.”  These scientists hope to be able to transplant pig organs into humans in the near future.

                This research in particular is incredibly fascinating to me that they can edit genes in different animals and have it translate into humans. This could solve the problem of people being stuck on waiting lists and potentially losing their lives for not having a match. Although this will take decades, it’s amazing to see the direction that this research is headed towards.

The link to the original article can be found here.

Pigs Could Be the Perfect Organ Donors

More than 123,000 people wait on transplant lists in America alone that if received, could save their life. It is said that on average every 12 minutes another person is added to a life saving organ transplant list. 

Scientists have been manipulating and editing the genes of pigs for years in order to potentially making them the perfect organ donors for humans. After modifying 62 different genes in pig embryos, scientists think they have finally found a way to make pigs the ideal and suitable organ donors. Although pig organs are similar in size to humans, pig embryos posses 62 porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) which once in humans is not treatable (potentially causing more issues in the human body such as blood clotting). Companies are working together to attempt to breed pigs genetically edited before even born in order to try and reduce the amount of PERVs in the pig embryo.

With more research throughout the years, I believe that this is a great step taken to possibly use pig organs for human transplants. The pigs organ size is already ideal, it is just the genetics that need to be altered. With the right genetic editing and modifying this could lead to an increase in available organs for transplant and the saving of thousands of lives.

Link to Article:

http://www.popsci.com/edited-genes-could-make-pigs-perfect-organ-donor

Link to supporting article:

http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/powerful-gene-editing-could-make-pigs-perfect-organ-donors/medical-allied-healthcare

Gene-Editing Record Smashed in Pigs

According to an article published in Nature, a study has been underway for the creation of a steady supply of organs for humans from pigs. In the past issues have arose with the rejection of the organs by the human immune system as well as the possibility of infection. A research team at Harvard Medical School led by geneticist George Church has modified 60 genes from pig embryos and now believes that they have created a suitable nonhuman organ donor.


The modification of 60 genes was ten times more than have ever been previously edited in any animal. This was accomplished by using CRISPR gene-editing technology to inactivate 62 porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in pig embryos. The group also modified more than 20 genes in a separate set of embryos. Among these was a gene that encodes for proteins that sit on the pig cell and cause blood clotting or triggers an immune response in humans.


Eventually the pigs that will be used to grow organs for humans will have both of the modifications as well as the deletion of PERV. Although the edited embryos are not yet ready to be implanted into the mother pig, Church believes they are close. The organ donor pigs will be kept in isolation away from pathogen. I found this article to be very interesting. It is impressive that they were able to edit that many genes and still produce good results. This could lead to many benefits in the future, especially in human therapies.