Pig Organs Well-Suited for Human Transplant?

            "22 people die every day awaiting a match [for organ transplant]" claims Karen Weintraub, the author of the article “Gene-Editing Success Brings Pig-to-Human Transplants Closer to Reality” (Weintraub, 2017). The issue of finding suitable organs for transplant is one that has cost many thousands their lives. In her article, however, Weintraub discusses a recent experiment conducted by scientists in Massachusetts that may yield functional pig organs with potential to be used in human organ transplants. The original issue with using pig organs for transplant was the suspected risk of transmitting viruses contained in the pig’s genome to humans. These viruses do not effect pigs but may cause humans to contract disease. The scientists in Massachusetts were able to use the CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing system to essentially “delete” all viruses found in the pig’s genome by editing strands of DNA. The experiment yielded healthy piglets from which disease-free organs may in the future be harvested and used for human organ transplant. 

            The next steps in preparing pig organs for human transplant is modifying the pig organs to best perform their roles within a human. Because pig and human organs are very similar in size, scientists in Alabama hope to have pig organs available for the first xenotransplantation patients within the next three years (Weintraub, 2017). There is still plenty of testing before such a transplant may occur, but Weintraub’s article leaves a promise of hope for the success of future “pig-to-human” organ transplants.

            I very much enjoyed reading this article because I am studying biomedical engineering with the hopes of being able to help solve the issue of insufficient organs for transplant. I believe that this is the future of human organ transplantation, and with 22 people dying per day as they await a transplant, these findings have a serious effect on millions of people. Such transplants will save the lives of millions of people in need of functioning organs. The outcome of this experiment not only has an effect on the future of xenotransplantation, but gives hope to the editing of DNA for many other reasons, whether they be to remove disease or mutations, or to enhance desirable traits found in humans. Results such as these bring the promise of hope to the entire world.

Source:

Weintraub, Karen. “Gene-Editing Success Brings Pig-to-Human Transplants Closer to Reality.” Scientific American, www.scientificamerican.com/article/gene-editing-success-brings-pig-to-human-transplants-closer-to-reality/. Accessed 9 Sept. 2017.
-BH