New organs could come from pig embryos - study

	Tweet

Pig embryos could provide sources of new organ and tissue transplants for people, and they may pose fewer risks than using material from adult animals, Israeli researchers reported on Monday.

They found that if cells were taken from pig embryos at precisely the right time, they grew into liver, pancreas and lung tissues in mice.

“Considering the ethical issues associated with human embryonic stem cells or with precursor tissue obtained from human abortions, we believe that the use of embryonic pig tissue could afford a more simple solution to the shortage of organ donors,” said Yair Reisner of the Weizmann Institute of Science, who led the study.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Reisner and colleagues said their findings also help explain why earlier experiments did not work. If transplanted at the wrong time, they found the pig embryo cells grew into tumors called teratomas instead of the desired tissue.

Not only is there a shortage of whole organs for transplant, but tissue transplants could be used to treat diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s and liver failure. Experiments have been done using cells from human fetuses as well as from animals.

Many researchers are working on the possibility of animal-to-human transplants, also called xenotransplants. Pigs are a popular choice because they are about the same size as humans and have a similar physiology.

But there are big hurdles, not the least of which is massive rejection by the human body of animal tissue.

Reisner noted that other researchers are working to genetically engineer pigs that do not carry the protein responsible for the immune response. And embryos may have less of it, he added in an e-mail.

“We anticipate that immune suppression required might be less intense compared to that employed in the context of adult tissue transplantation,” he said.

It may be easier to work with embryonic cells than with more mature tissue, Reisner added. “The great advantage of embryonic tissue implantation is that it does not require any manipulation ex-vivo (outside of the body). The precursor tissue is simply implanted and grows in the recipient,” he wrote.

The other hurdle involves porcine endogenous retroviruses, found in pig cells. While they are likely to be found in embryonic tissue he said, he believes they are unlikely to infect a human transplant recipient.

Xenotransplant researchers have agreed to a voluntary moratorium on transplanting pig tissue into people until the question is fully resolved.

RELATED STORIES:
Role of Statins in Reducing H1N1 Mortality Rates Studied   African children face life without healthcare   Health grant good news for our region   Pentagon sees “no evidence” of mail center anthrax   Rising Obesity Rate Generates Government Action   U.S. defends opposition to addict injection rooms   Fighting America’s “Other Drug Problem”   Drug information from pharmacies found lacking   New Australia smoking law bans brand labels   FDA seizes potentially deadly hospital beds   Computers estimate emotions   Few US adults lead healthy lives

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]