Pigs have more purpose than simply producing pork.
Frequently used in the medical field, pigs have served as organ donors, such as a heart and heart valves. They continue to serve as a vital part of medical research and advancements in technology.
Researchers at Yale University recently shared study results of a new technology used to restore circulation of blood flow and cell activity in vital organs of pigs, over one hour after the animal died, Nature reports.
What was once considered ‘irreversible’ when blood circulation and oxygenation stops, this technology showed otherwise.
The system, called OrganEx, pumps a blood substitute through the animal’s body to slow the decomposition of the body and restore some organ function, specifically the heart, liver and kidney. No coordinated brain activity was observed to indicate animals regained any consciousness.
The blood substitute includes a variety of compounds to suppress blood clotting and the immune system and slow decomposition of the animal’s body.
“We’re not saying it’s clinically relevant, but it’s moving in the right direction,” says Zvonimir Vrselja, a neuroscientist at Yale University.
During the study, after an induced cardiac arrest death, the pigs received the OrganEx technology, and after six hours, researchers detected activity in the heart, liver and cells in the vital organs. Other pigs were attached to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which is used in hospitals today as a final effort to supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide in the body.
The Organ Ex technology proved superior.
“If the findings of cellular restoration can be replicated in animals and eventually in humans, their implications for human longevity could be as “profound” as the advent of CPR and ventilators, says Nita Farahany, a neuroscientist at Duke University to Nature.
This could one day lead to increased preservation of transplant organs, allowing more time for the donor organs to reach the recipient.
While the study and technology remain in its early stages, these findings might someday lead to increased success in organ transplantation and save lives across the globe.
