Waste not, want not – using ALL parts of the pig!

A team of researchers from Munich University has successfully transplanted genetically- modified pig hearts into baboons, with some surviving over six months.

Each year, thousands die from heart disease, sometimes while waiting for a donor. This is why
scientists began looking for organ donors among other species that share similar genetic code to our
own.

So far, though, the results have not been very convincing. The last recorded survival for a baboon
transplanted with a pig heart was 57 days, hence why this new study’s record of a survival of over 6
months is so surprising.

These results pave the way for potential clinical trials in humans. Who knows, maybe one day people
will be walking around with pig hearts keeping them alive?