Genetically Engineered Pig Hearts Survive A Record-Breaking Two Years Inside Baboons, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Study
You might not think that you should be excited about pig hearts being stitched into baboon circulatory systems, but boy are you wrong. Scientists have announced a new record for the survival of these Frankenhearts, and their work could have major implications for human health.
Every day, an average of 22 people die in the United States waiting for organ transplants. One possible solution? Get donor organs from other species. But that's not as easy as taking a trip to your local pig farm: Humans and pigs have enough anatomical similarity that we could, in theory, use their hearts to replace our own, but the human body would immediately reject the foreign organ.
Every day, an average of 22 people die in the United States waiting for organ transplants. One possible solution? Get donor organs from other species. But that's not as easy as taking a trip to your local pig farm: Humans and pigs have enough anatomical similarity that we could, in theory, use their hearts to replace our own, but the human body would immediately reject the foreign organ.