Surgeons at University of Pennsylvania attached modified organ from pig to brain-dead human body
Surgeons externally attached a pig liver to a brain-dead human body and watched it successfully filter blood, a step toward eventually trying the technique in patients with liver failure.
The University of Pennsylvania announced the novel experiment on Thursday, a different spin on animal-to-human organ transplants. In this case, the pig liver was used outside the donated body, not inside – a way to create a “bridge” to support failing livers by doing the organ’s blood-cleansing work externally, much like dialysis for failing kidneys.
Animal-to-human transplants, called xenotransplants, have failed for decades because people’s immune systems rejected the foreign tissue. Now scientists are trying again with pigs whose organs have been genetically modified to be more humanlike.
How do they get the consent for this from a brain dead body?
You can donate your body to science. Sometimes it ends up at a medical school, sometimes it ends up in scientific research, sometimes it ends up somewhere sketchy.
Oh yeah I already have. I just didn’t know brain dead counted the same, that’s cool. I hope they stick some biomechanical implants in my body.
In this case, it might also (only?) require being an organ donor.
Ah I’m also that.
Sounds like I’m set to become the borg. Cya later suckers.
I assume donated for science/research.
Ay, saw this in Dr. House first!
Except in that episode, they used an entire live pig instead of just the liver in a box.
Aaand back to my alcoholism again
