Pig Hearts Could Keep Babies Awaiting Transplants Alive
Scientists hope in the future, pig hearts can be a temporary solution for babies who need a transplant. UAB researchers recently presented a study about this at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ annual meeting. The goal is to prevent pig hearts from being rejected. So far, results seem promising.
Dr. David Cleveland, pediatric heart surgeon at Children’s Hospital and UAB, says it can be a challenge when a baby needs a heart transplant.
“So the number of donors is just not there,” Cleveland says. “I mean, we’ve had babies sit there and wait for nine months in our unit, and then we’ve had a number of babies that die, waiting for hearts. And so there’s a tremendous need.”
To meet that need, one idea is that a baby could use a pig heart to stay alive until a human heart becomes available. Before that can happen, scientists have to make sure the human body will accept the animal organ. Over the years, they have figured out how to genetically modify pigs to minimize the odds of rejection. In their recent study, Cleveland and fellow UAB researchers checked to see how infant’s blood reacted to the blood of these altered pigs.
“I was incredibly surprised that there’s really not a lot of antibodies to these genetically-modified pigs,” Cleveland says. “Which tells you that they (infants) aren’t going to immediately reject it.”
It is progress, but Cleveland says we are still a long way from transplanting pig hearts into people. More thorough testing is needed and scientists need to see how it does on non-human primates before clinical trials can happen with humans.
Photo by Sasint
Editor Note: Children’s Hospital of Alabama is a sponsor of WBHM programming. WBHM’s news and business departments operate separately
A wild election is coming to a close — and no one is sure how it will end
From candidate swaps to assassination attempts, the final months of the campaign has been a whirlwind. Here's why the outcome is so consequential.
Figures and Dobson are in a heated battle for a redrawn Alabama House district
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama voters will decide who will represent a congressional district that was redrawn after a lengthy legal battle that drew national attention and could provide a rare opportunity for Democrats to flip a seat in the Deep South. Democrat Shomari Figures, a former top aide to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, […]
Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes can proceed, a Pennsylvania judge says
Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta in Pennsylvania — ruling after Musk’s lawyers said the winners are paid spokespeople and not chosen by chance — did not immediately explain his reasoning.
Puerto Rico holds general election that promises to be historic
Puerto Rico is holding elections that will be historic regardless of which of the top two gubernatorial candidates wins.
Boeing machinists approve contract, bringing an end to a bruising seven-week strike
Striking machinists voted to approve an agreement that will hike wages by 38%. The deal was endorsed by union leaders, who warned that Boeing’s next offer might be worse.
States and cities beef up security to prepare for potential election-related violence
Washington state's governor activated the National Guard to stand by to help local law enforcement as needed. Meanwhile, extra security is in place at locations across Washington, D.C.
