Scientists raise first pigs for human organ transplants as Japan faces donor shortage
However, the safety of such cross-species transplants will be investigated through further animal experiments for the time being, according to a venture company called Polmedtech, which was launched based on research from Meiji University’s International Institute for Bioresources. That’s what it means.
The team, which includes members of the US biotech company EGenesys, used cells supplied in September from the US company that modified 10 different genes to resist rejection by the human body, in order to produce pigs born on Sunday. , Polmedtech said in a release.
In October, fertilized eggs created using somatic cell cloning technology, which creates genetically identical individuals, were implanted into the womb of a surrogate mother pig. Three piglets were born by caesarean section.
Once the pigs are confirmed to have grown, they will be donated to a Japanese scientific institution to be used in research into organ transplantation into other animals, such as monkeys.
“We would like to use this as an opportunity to consider the challenges of human organ transplantation,” said Hiroshi Nagashima, founder and principal investigator of PolMedtech.
In Asia, most organ donors are women, but transplants are mostly performed on men: study
In Asia, most organ donors are women, but transplants are mostly performed on men: study
Transplantation of cells and organs from animals to humans, known as xenotransplantation, holds promise as a solution to the organ donor shortage.
According to the Japan Organ Transplant Network, approximately 16,000 people are currently registered as waiting for organ donation in Japan, but only about 3% of people receive an organ donation each year.
In Japan, there are plans to transplant pig islet cells into patients with type 1 diabetes and temporarily transplant pig kidneys into fetuses with severe kidney disease, but such procedures have not been carried out so far.
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