The pigs had been dead for an hour. But 6 hours after researchers connected their bodies to a machine pumping a nutrient-rich fluid, their organs began to show signs of life again.
The Yale system, dubbed OrganEx, is a bit more sophisticated than current ECMO machines. Whereas ECMO is a stand-in for just the heart and lungs, OrganEx also mimics the function of the kidneys. It consists of pumps, sensors, heaters, and filters to control the flow and temperature of the blood substitute it pushes through the body. And while ECMO only slows cell death, the team’s findings suggest that OrganEx may be able to reverse some aspects of cell death.
The Yale team’s secret sauce is a proprietary fluid of electrolytes, vitamins, amino acids, and other nutrients, plus a cocktail of 13 drugs that reduce cell death and cellular stress and modulate the immune and nervous systems. The researchers mixed the synthetic fluid with pig blood into a series of pumps designed to control its flow and temperature throughout the circulatory system. That special substrate, the researchers surmise, helped revive the pig organs.
In their study, the authors speculate that the system might also lead to new treatments for people who have had a heart attack, if it’s capable of restoring a heart’s normal function in a living patient. The idea is still far from human testing, but if it's possible, experts say, it raises some interesting ethical choices.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Squeal' Trailer Reveals Gritty Fairy Tale With Pigs and Barking Humans'Squeal' trailer reveals a dark and gritty fairy tale with pigs and barking humans.
Read more »
Dua Lipa Pairs a Nearly Sheer Bra with the Most Unique SkirtReviving '90s punk style with a twist.
Read more »
With innovative bioreactor as womb, mouse stem cells transform into organ-filled embryosResearchers have made artificial mouse embryos from stem cells—no sperm or eggs required—and used an innovative bioreactor to nurture their creations for longer than any previous embryo models.
Read more »
Fighting fibrosis - Nature BiotechnologyFighting fibrosis Improving target selectivity and defining cell phenotypes may improve the odds of finding therapies for fibrosis
Read more »
'Squeal' Trailer Reveals Gritty Fairy Tale With Pigs and Barking Humans'Squeal' trailer reveals a dark and gritty fairy tale with pigs and barking humans.
Read more »
Researchers reveal how an insect-eating plant uses rain energy to power its trapsScientists at the University of Bristol have uncovered the deadly workings of a carnivorous plant.
Read more »