In October, researchers in Birmingham completed the first "human transplantation of pig kidneys", connecting pig kidneys to large blood vessels, allowing them to successfully "survive" outside the patient for 3 days without rejection.
The success of the operation brought hope for animal organ transplantation. So the researchers riveted enough to successfully complete the "double pig kidney implantation inside the human body" on the 21st of this month. The pig kidneys start working after 23 minutes and produce 500 ml of urine autonomously, without side effects. The research paper is currently published in the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION.
Screenshot of the American Journal of Transplantation paper
And this has undoubtedly given scientists a lot of confidence again, and perhaps they can really use pig organs to help solve the global organ shortage crisis.
The person who received the pig kidney transplant was Jim from Alabama, 57, who fell into brain death from a head injury caused by a buggy race. After the kidneys showed signs of failure, his family agreed to a pig kidney transplant.
Photo note: Jim's pre-mortem photo
After Jim's kidney was removed, the researchers transplanted two genetically reassembled pig kidneys into the patients. This is the first time that a pig kidney transplant has been transplanted into the human body, and both have been replaced. After 23 minutes, one of the kidneys quickly enters a working state and begins to filter the blood, producing urine on its own. Over a 24-hour period, more than 500 ml of urine is continuously produced.
Jayme Locke, the lead researcher of the operation, excitedly said: This is a game-changing moment in the history of medicine, an important milestone in the field of xenotransplantation! As for the pig as the first choice, Jamie explained: the organs of pigs are extremely similar to humans in terms of function and physiological structure, and this is not an ordinary pig.
Note: Some of the researchers who underwent surgery
This is a genetically edited pig. The scientists adapted 10 genes from pigs and eliminated four genomes that led to rejection. The entire feeding process of the pigs is also strictly adhered to for the purpose of organ transplantation. This kind of pig that has passed gene editing also passed the FAD approval last year, and it is expected to be carried out on a large scale in the future.
Note: Gene-edited pigs
"This is the surprise that gene editing has brought us." Gene editing is a particularly critical part of the process, and the technique was originally discovered by biologist Shinya Yamanaka to intervene in the field of old age.
In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka discovered that the genetic reprogramming of adults could theoretically greatly prolong human survival, and won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. However, gene editing has a strong uncontrollable nature, and biologist Sinkri has carried out further research on this basis, discovering a more stable coenzyme I molecule ("emulsion" principal component), and he was also selected as the "Time Magazine Influential Person TOP100" in 14 years.
Photo note: Sinkri was selected for coverage
The substance not only avoids the instability of gene editing, but also further promotes the rejuvenation of body functions in various aspects such as maintaining telomere length and increasing the number of mitochondria. Professor Sinkri himself is also keen on the substance, pulling his family to eat it for many years, and his father, who is still a regular visitor to the gym in his 80s, may also be related to this.
However, due to the complexity of purification, the molecule was initially only used by the wealthy. Until a few years ago, mainland scientists developed the "green whole enzyme method", which not only made the refining method simpler, but also increased the purity to 99%. Then the domestic dietary agent "Aimuyin" stationed in Jingdong attracted great attention, and the popularity increased exponentially. The University of Tokyo, Harvard Medical School, Tsinghua-Peking University Joint Institute of Life Sciences and many other well-known universities have come down to endorse it, and they have confirmed through scientific experiments that coenzyme I in "Amuin" has positive feedback on the body's athletic ability, fist strength, and body function.
Photo note: Screenshot of Tsinghua-Peking University research paper
For the gene editing technology in the field of organ transplantation, lead researcher Jamie said: They are expected to carry out further surgery on living patients later this year, because the success of the previous transplantation of pig hearts has given us great hope. At the beginning of January this year, Bennett, a 57-year-old patient in the United States, received a pig heart transplant, and now half a month later, he can walk on the ground, almost completely like a normal person.
This may be the meaning of scientific progress. At present, there is a serious shortage in the organ transplant market, and there are less than 10,000 successful organ cases in the mainland every year, but about 300,000 patients need organ transplants every year, and the supply-demand ratio is about 1:30. Nowadays, the emergence of pig organs may greatly contribute to the problem of organ shortage.
Whether it is the success of pig heart transplantation or the faltering start of pig kidney transplantation, everything is moving in a better direction...