Researchers Experiment Creation of Human-Pig ‘Chimera Embryos’ to Address Shortage of Donor Organs

According to Christian News:

Photo credit: The Scientist

A team of biologists at the Salk Institute in California has reportedly created the first-ever human-pig chimeras in an effort to test the idea of growing organs in animals that can later be used in human transplants.

“This biomedical advance has long been a dream and a quandary for scientists hoping to address a critical shortage of donor organs,” National Geographic writes. “Every ten minutes, a person is added to the national waiting list for organ transplants. And every day, 22 people on that list die without the organ they need. What if, rather than relying on a generous donor, you could grow a custom organ inside an animal instead?”

The concept of creating the hybrids, which are less than .001 percent human, involves injecting human stem cells collected from the patient’s skin inside of a small pig embryo, which is then implanted in a sow. The organ, grown for one month, would then be harvested from the pig and transplanted into the waiting patient.

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