xenotransplantation
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Scientists Show that Monkeys Can Live Up to 2 Years with Genetically Modified Pig Kidneys
Research out last week appears to show the potential longevity of transplanted organs from genetically engineered pigs. Scientists gave monkeys kidneys from these animals, finding that some were able to live for one to two years. Many of the genetic changes evaluated in this study could make pig-to-human transplants a more viable treatment to test…
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Experimental Transplant Procedure Allows 3 Kids to Live Without Immune-Suppressing Drugs
Doctors appear to have found a way for some organ transplant recipients to avoid lifelong immune-suppressing drugs. In new research this week, they detail how three children with a rare genetic condition were given a dual bone marrow and kidney transplant in hopes of completely avoiding immune rejection. And up to three years later, the…
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What’s the Most Dangerous Emerging Technology?
Those inclined to think apocalyptically know that tech, in its purest form, spells civilizational disaster. It is true that we might never see a world filled with violent hypertrophic CRISPR babies, and uncontrollable self-driving cars, and AI intent on twisting humans into paperclips. Our tech-hastened end, if and when it does arrive, will probably look…
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Surgeons in New York Successfully Transplant Pig Kidneys to Two People
Scientists are inching closer to a major breakthrough in organ donation. This week, researchers at New York University announced that they transplanted a pig kidney to a human for the second time with no short-term issues, following their initial success two months earlier. Clinical trials of this technology are likely still a while away, though.