Researchers keep pig heart beating in baboon belly for >2 years—a new record

(credit: Nick Saltmarsh)

While waiting for an organ donor, patients in need of a transplant may one day have the option of taking out a loaner organ—from a pig.

Researchers report Tuesday that they were able to keep pig hearts alive and beating in the abdomens of five baboons for record amounts of time—a median of 298 days and a max of 945 days. Previous benchmarks were set at a median of 180 and a max of 500 days, respectively.

Data from the prolonged ticker swap, published in Nature Communications, highlights scientists’ progress at breaking down the biological barriers of cross-species organ donation, inching closer to using animal organs in humans in desperate need of transplants. Currently in the US, 22 people die every day just waiting for organs, which are in constant short supply.

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