A human with heart disease received a heart from a pig that had been genetically engineered to avoid rejection. The experiment ended after the transplant failed and the patient died. The team didn't say anything about what happened. A research paper detailing everything that happened to prepare for a transplant was published this week.
The failure of the transplant was caused by the death of the muscle cells in the heart. The reason for that death isn't clear, and the usual signs of rejection by the immune system weren't present. We will have to wait a while to understand what happened.
The paper depicts David Bennett as a patient who was on the verge of death when he received an organ. He was an obvious candidate for a heart transplant and was only kept alive through the use of a device that helpedoxygenate his blood outside his body. The patient was denied a human heart transplant due to poor adherence to treatment. He and his family decided to take part in the program.
AdvertisementThe pig that served as the heart donor came from a population that has been genetically engineered to limit the possibility of rejection. The line was raised in conditions that should limit the exposure of the pathogen to it. The patient was also screened for pig diseases after the transplant.
The patient's new heart beat at a normal rate after the transplant. Half of the blood that came out of the left ventricle of the transplant heart was sent into the circulatory system, which was up from only 10 percent.
Bennett lost more than 40 lbs due to abdominal pain and weight loss after he received a transplant. He was put on a feeding tube and had an exploratory laparoscopy, but there was no need to take action. The pig version of the virus causes issues like pneumonia and mononucleosis, but the human version can cause more serious problems. The treatment was handled with antivirals.
At five weeks after the transplant, there were no signs of rejection and the heart was still working.
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