Simar Bajaj, “Pig to human heart transplants are the future. Are we ready for it?” The Guardian, August 4, 2022.
- In 1984, poor Baby Fae lived only 21 days after receiving a baboon’s heart. Interest in xenotransplantation shifted towards pigs…
- … that conveniently are not covered by the Animal Welfare Act. Pigs are economically convenient, too, as organ sources, by growing quickly and having large litters.
- On an operating table, pig chests look remarkably like human chests!
- In 2022, a (human) patient lived for two months after receiving a transplant of a pig's heart.
- The (accepted?) use of pigs for food can become an argument that it is ethically fine to use them as organ manufacturers.
- Revivicor uses CRISPR to create genetically-modified pigs. They are raised without their moms and in a sterile, indoor environment.
- Pigs and humans are genetically close, sharing 98% of their genes; for Revivicor xenotransplants, 4 pig genes are knocked out, 6 are added.
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