Groundbreaking transplant a step toward solving organ shortage.
Researchers at NYU Langone have managed to attach a pig kidney to a human and get it to work (for 54 hours).
That said a first tiny step perhaps. The process require gene-modified pigs.
PETA etc. object, naturally.
Also at The New York Times:
Surgeons in New York have successfully attached a kidney grown in a genetically altered pig to a human patient and found that the organ worked normally, a scientific breakthrough that one day may yield a vast new supply of organs for severely ill patients.
Although many questions remain to be answered about the long-term consequences of the transplant, which involved a brain-dead patient followed only for 54 hours, experts in the field said the procedure represented a milestone.
“We need to know more about the longevity of the organ,” said Dr. Dorry Segev, professor of transplant surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who was not involved in the research. Nevertheless, he said: “This is a huge breakthrough. It’s a big, big deal.”
(Score: 5, Funny) by NPC-131072 on Thursday October 21 2021, @12:26AM (1 child)
Is this a requirement or could non-Republicans benefit too?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday October 21 2021, @02:36AM
Wrong user account :) You're the one that tries to make fun of anyone left of Stalin by strawmanning the shit out of them (poorly). Check your login before you post!
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 21 2021, @12:53AM (1 child)
The pig didn't reject the organ?
(Score: 3, Funny) by FatPhil on Thursday October 21 2021, @01:33PM
Yes, it is. However, the anus rejected him.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 21 2021, @01:20AM (1 child)
Just need the bear
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 21 2021, @03:36PM
Man-Bare-Pig
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday October 21 2021, @03:18AM (2 children)
Many heartfelt thanks to the family of the transplant recipient. Despite their grief they chose to give this opportunity for scientific discovery. Thank you for that, and please accept my condolences for your loss.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday October 21 2021, @01:41PM
Of course, the hard bit is what happens now - it only takes seconds to destroy a space shuttle, but takes ages to be sure you know what failed and why.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 22 2021, @01:14PM
Luckily for science, the Uighurs have all volunteered for human medical experimentation. Thank you for your contribution - we can't all be Einsteins but many of us can still serve the greater good.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by looorg on Thursday October 21 2021, @12:51PM (9 children)
I find it interesting as a source of organ replacement since well other humans doesn't really appear all that interested in donating their organs to other humans. So this could very well be the next best thing. A ready and rapid supply of tailor made organs on demand. It might be interesting if there had been some cost involved like how much does it cost to make a tailor made gene modified pig? After all it's not just any old pig that will do. Also there is probably not an after market for the pig as bacon after the organs have been removed either since it will probably be full of medications we might not want in the food-supply.
That said it's annoying that PETA etc are against this. But one isn't perhaps surprised that they feel like that. One sort of just hopes they never get to partake in said organs and can instead sit on some waiting list and die.
Hopefully this will eventually apply to other organs to and this whole queueing for years for organ replacement will be a thing of the past.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday October 21 2021, @01:37PM (8 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday October 21 2021, @01:55PM (7 children)
It's generally safe to assume that PETA will support the least reasonable position in any argument. They oppose this research vehemently because it involves the creation, use, and destruction of animals by humans for humans.
I haven't read any positions from them on human organ donation; They don't consider humans to be animals.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Thursday October 21 2021, @08:34PM (5 children)
>I haven't read any positions from them on human organ donation
Granted PETA does tend to focus on animals, seeing how as there's already LOTS of advocacy groups for humans.
However, the word donation also changes things dramatically. It's really hard to object to organ donation, since the donor is usually already dead, about to die anyway, or has given their consent for a non-lethal operation.
A pig cannot donate an organ, because it cannot give consent. Any organ taken from a pig is organ theft, and probably involves the death of a perfectly healthy pig.
And I dare say you'll not find many people willing to argue in favor of the ethics of human organ theft either.
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday October 22 2021, @03:36AM (1 child)
For one, organ donation phrase is just a political washing for organ harvesting. And this market has a huge criminal background. As an example, on such market, a child's cornea is usually cheaper than a whole child, just because it's much simpler to transport.
In current social model of overall genetic testing and tracking people, it is also very simple to order a pre-selected specific person and commit an accident on it, a precondition for best fit organ delivery.
The risk for young people getting into the databases is very high.
For second, I do not believe a single word of research about genetically modified pigs. The whole affair is just a method of covering situations where a true organ was obtained illegally, and this kind of research just creates a plausible story for covering the real trade. The pig organ would just get paid, delivered, discarded and everyone's happy as before.
I do not care about pigs' rights or consent. I eat them. They are not even kosher enough for most of the organ recipients... Just think about it.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Friday October 22 2021, @03:43AM
s/cheaper/costlier/
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 22 2021, @08:45AM (2 children)
exactly.
I'd say: it's perfectly fine to grow brain-dead pigs and then harvest their organs. Otherwise it's not ok.
Luckily, there are plenty of pigs who are being killed for food, and I guess it's fine to take their organs (technically they can be used for some sorts of foods, but we can probably survive on just eating the muscles of pigs).
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday October 22 2021, @02:19PM (1 child)
Given the ratio of organ transplants to food consumption, we probably wouldn't even notice the loss of a few organs from the food stream.
But why settle for pigs? We could grow brain-dead humans for Soylent Green.
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Saturday October 23 2021, @04:48AM
Why grow more? We already have Ohio? :)
(Please substitute your least favorite state in the joke if the previous sentence was objectionable to you.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 22 2021, @01:17PM
I object to pig doner, I much prefer lamb.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 21 2021, @03:21PM
What's the improvement over 30 years ago, when the first pig transplants were done?
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 22 2021, @11:01AM
We must have a certification authority for these transplants anything else will be racist! Submit!