A biotechnology company in Japan has created genetically modified pigs that are compatible with the human body. According to a statement by PorMedTec, which was founded by Meiji University colleagues, 10 genes were modified in laboratory animals so that their organs or tissues would not be rejected when transplanted into humans.
To create the piglets born on Sunday, the US company eGenesis, which participated in the research, provided the cells in October, cloned them and then transplanted them into a mother animal.
In Japan, 16,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant. The purpose of xenotransplantation, that is, the transplantation of animal organs, is to alleviate the situation caused by the shortage of human donors.
It is not yet known whether genetically modified pig organs will serve as xenotransplants. The company said that once it grows a little,
Animals are donated to research laboratories,
So that the behavior of their organs can be studied by transplanting them into monkeys.
In Japan, according to current plans, type 1 diabetes will be treated by transplanting insulin-producing animal cells, and fetuses with kidney failure will be helped with a temporarily transplanted pig kidney.
So far, genetically modified pig hearts have been transplanted into seriously ill patients in the United States, but so far they have only been able to extend their lives by a few weeks.
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