Earlier this summer, physicians at NYU Langone were able to successfully transplant pig hearts into two recently deceased humans. The medical team performed the procedures on June 16 and July 6 using special pig hearts that had been genetically modified to be more acceptable for transplantation into the human body. Both carcasses were donated by recently deceased individuals and were placed on ventilator support so that the efficacy of pig hearts could be measured more accurately.
The study comes as the area of xenotransplantation – or the act of transferring organs from one species to another – is under investigation. The first person to undergo a pig heart transplant this year, which scientists believe was an adverse reaction to a drug used to prevent rejection. The heart also contained DNA from the pig virus. Since the incident, the medical community has called for more meaningful research on the topic, as well as better safety protocols. Meanwhile, the FDA is considering approving clinical trials for pig heart transplants in humans. wall street journal Reported last month.
Both human subjects – a 72-year-old Navy veteran and a 64-year-old retired New York City teacher – were monitored for three days before being taken off life support. The heart neither needed external support nor functioned normally, which the researchers see as a promising sign for future research. Despite the positive results of the NYU experiment, surgeons cautioned that much more research is needed before pig heart transplants can be a viable option for people with heart disease.
“This is not a one-time situation. It’s going to be a year of learning what is important to make and what is not important,” said NYU’s Dr. Robert Montgomery of The Associated Press.
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