Surgeons Successfully Transplant Pig Hearts Into Bodies Of Two Brain-Dead Humans

Back at the start of the year, doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center announced a medical breakthrough when they transplanted a genetically-modified pig’s heart into a human for the first time ever. 

Unfortunately, two months later, the patient’s condition deteriorated, resulting in him passing away. As per Engadget, scientists believe he had an adverse reaction to the drug administered to prevent organ rejection.

Now, in recent months, surgeons have taken several steps forward in the field of xenotransplantation—the transplantation or infusion into a human recipient of live cells, tissues, or organs from an animal source. 

The latest advancement comes as a team at NYU Langone Health successfully transplanted two genetically-engineered pig hearts into human bodies, both of whom were recently deceased but still on ventilator support, on June 16 and July 6, 2022. 

Both brain-dead humans, one of whom was a 72-year-old Navy veteran and the other a 64-year-old retired New York City teacher, were monitored for three days before they were taken off life support.

According to the institution, the surgeries took several hours to complete. Hearteningly, there were no signs of early rejection were observed for either organ, and the hearts functioned normally without the aid of mechanical support. 

As for where the pig hearts had come from, the organs were reportedly sourced from animals that had undergone 10 genetic modifications. This included four porcine gene “knockouts” to prevent organ rejection and abnormal growth, and six human transgenes (“knock-ins”) to cultivate proteins needed to bridge the gap between the pigs and human bodies. 

“Our goal is to integrate the practices used in a typical, everyday heart transplant, only with a non-human organ that will function normally without additional aid from untested devices or medicines,” explained Dr Nader Moazami, Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation, who led the procedures. 

“This is the first step in developing a deep understanding of the mechanical, molecular, and immunologic aspects of xenoheart transplantation and the feasibility of utilizing standard clinical practice and tools to do so,” added Dr Alex Reyentovich, Medical Director of Heart Transplantation.  

Eventually, the surgeons hope the use of non-human heart transplants will address the growing concern of organ shortage, and provide an alternative for “the more than 100,000 people nationwide waiting on that lifesaving gift.” 

[via Engadget and NYU Langone Health, images via Joe Carrotta for NYU Langone Health]