(GLO)- A farm in Virginia, USA is developing genetically modified pigs to provide organs for transplants for humans, opening up hope for millions of patients.
In order to solve the global shortage of organs for transplants, researchers at a farm in Virginia, USA are developing a special project: breeding genetically modified pigs to provide organs for transplants for humans. This project has opened up hope for millions of patients.
Mr. David Ayares – President and Chief Scientific Officer of Revivicor Company said: “We use genetic modification technology to change pig cells, then clone them to create pigs with 10 genetic modifications. This helps reduce the risk of the patient’s immune system rejecting the transplanted organs.”
Dave Ayares with genetically modified piglets at the Revivicor research farm in Blacksburg, Virginia on November 20. Photo: AFP
These pigs are not ordinary. Millions of dollars have been invested, so they are very valuable.
The company Revivicor has made great strides by successfully transplanting a kidney from a genetically modified pig into a patient, Towana Looney, who was recently discharged from the hospital. Since 2021, many transplants of genetically modified pig kidneys and hearts into humans have been successfully performed in the US. Although the patients only lived for a few weeks after surgery, scientists consider this a positive sign that the pig’s organs were not immediately rejected by the immune system.
Pigs were chosen for research because they have the ability to reproduce quickly, each litter can give birth to up to 15 pigs, and organs such as the heart and kidneys have a similar physiological structure to humans. Therefore, according to David Ayares, this brings more potential than other animals.
Currently, Revivicor Company plans to price each genetically modified pig kidney at about 1 million USD (more than 25 billion VND). With such a high cost, they hope that health insurance will help reduce the burden on patients.
Recently, a woman in Alabama, USA received a genetically modified pig kidney transplant. The positive results of the transplant have brought hope to patients with kidney failure. The patient’s recovery is quite good and is being closely monitored.