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

Dr. George Church of Harvard Medical School dropped a bombshell in the middle of his presentation. In a typical experiment scientists use Crispr to alter a single gene. Church and his colleagues used Crispr to alter 62 genes at once in pig cells. They hope this will lead to using pig organs for human transplants. This also raises the question is this experiment could be used to altered multiple human genes at once. In 1990s researchers explored the possibility of using pig organs for human transplant. There is a major risk with pigs DNA called porcine version also known as PERV can affect human cells as well. In 2013 they asked Dr. Church to discover a way to edit the genes of PERV. He agreed to give it a shot even though he thought it wouldn’t work. Dr. Chruch had failed several times only killing the cells.  In the last experiment Dr. Church and colleagues found that there were 62 PERVs in the genome. The DNA was nearly identical from virus to virus. Chruch engineered a new set of genes and inserted them into pigs cell. Two weeks went by and the modified pig cells had altered all of their own viral DNA. Chromosomes showed no abnormalities and the cells grew normally. This could be the answer to endless supply of safe dependable pig organs for transplant.  

       This finding could save thousands of lives! We wouldn't have to wait for someones life to be cut short to save another one. There's always a down side to new findings. This is the first time scientist were able to change multiple genes at once. This could be another huge step to creating designer babies. 

Single Gene Variant in Donors May Affect Survival of Transplanted Kidneys

According to a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), a single genetic variant in kidney donors' cells may help determine whether transplanted organs will survive long term. In the UK, Richard Burrows and his colleagues looked to see if variants in the genes that encode for the protein pumps influence the health of transplanted kidneys. This variant affects the protein, P-glycoprotein, expression encoded by the MDR-1 gene. The study, reported by Science Daily, provides new information that can be used to improve transplant longevity. This study reveals that the genetic make-up of kidney transplant donors affects the survival of transplanted organs. The study of donor, as opposed to recipient, is uncommon in the field of transplantation.

Although a kidney transplant can save a patient's life, the recipient is subjected to a life of taking drugs to suppress their immune system to prevent their body from rejecting the donated organ. Ironically, as stated by the article, the immunosuppressive drugs can cause kidney damage.

 

How well the proteins pump these drugs out of kidney cells may influence the drugs' kidney toxicity. To figure out the connection, Burrows and his colleagues investigated the links between donor and recipient gene variants with kidney outcome among 811 immunosuppressant treated kidney transplant recipients. The donors who had a variant within the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR-1) gene were linked to a 69% increased risk for long-term failure of transplanted organs. No other genetic variants were found to be linked to organ survival or failure. Looking at donors, as opposed to recipients, was a good idea. I found it strange that the immunosuppressant taken by kidney transplant recipients may lead to kidney damage. It sounds as if the patient could end up back at square one. Hopefully this study by JASN will lead to the elimination of immunosuppressive drugs for transplantation.

Cartoon depiction of the P-glycoprotein structure: