- Possibility of using animal organs for so-called xenotransplantation
- The pig used in the transplant had been genetically modified to knock out several genes
- Pig hearts are anatomically similar to human hearts
- The bigger issue is organ rejection
A US man has become the first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig, reports BBC.
About the transplant
David Bennett, 57, is doing well three days after the experimental seven-hour procedure in Baltimore, doctors say.
The possibility of using animal organs for so-called xenotransplantation to meet the demand has long been considered, and using pig heart valves is already common.
The transplant was considered the last hope of saving Mr Bennett’s life, though it is not yet clear what his long-term chances of survival are.
“It was either die or do this transplant,” Mr Bennett explained a day before the surgery.
Mr Bennett – who has terminal heart disease – would otherwise have died.
He had been deemed ineligible for a human transplant, a decision that is often taken by doctors when the patient is in very poor health.
The pig used in the transplant had been genetically modified to knock out several genes that would have led to the organ being rejected by Mr Bennett’s body, the AFP news agency reports.
Mr Bennett, however, is hoping his transplant will allow him to continue with his life. He was bedridden for six weeks leading up to the surgery, and attached to a machine which kept him alive after he was diagnosed with terminal heart disease.
Recovery
“I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover,” he said last week.
On Monday, Mr Bennett was reported to be breathing on his own while being carefully monitored.
One step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis
Currently 17 people die every day in the US waiting for a transplant, with more than 100,000 reportedly on the waiting list.
Dr Christine Lau, chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, was in the operating theatre during the surgery.
“He’s at more of a risk because we require more immunosuppression, slightly different than we would normally do in a human-to-human transplant. How well the patient does from now is, you know, it’s never been done before so we really don’t know,” she told the BBC.
A glimmer of hope alongside huge risks
Pig hearts are anatomically similar to human hearts but, understandably, not identical. It’s not ideal, compared to swapping in a human donor heart. But it is possible to plumb them in and get them working.
The bigger issue is organ rejection. These pigs are bred to lack genes that can cause rejection. They are cloned with certain genes “knocked out” and reared until they reach an age where their organs are big enough to be harvested for transplantation.
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Source: BBC
