Research led by Liangxue Lai from China’s Guangzhou Institute of Biomedical and Health Research has successfully extended the survival time of human stem cells in animal embryos. The team is focused on a five-year project to cultivate human organs for transplantation, bypassing the need for donor organs. To date, no scientist has been able to grow an organ within an animal embryo composed entirely of human cells.
Utilizing pig embryos due to their physiological and developmental similarities to humans, Lai’s team injected human stem cells into pig embryos. By deactivating specific genes in the pig embryos responsible for organ development, human stem cells could replace pig cells during organ growth.
The team also applied a small amount of the antibiotic doxycycline to the embryos, allowing them to control the activation of genes in the stem cells. This antibiotic helped activate genes that enhanced the survival and development of stem cells within the embryo, increasing the likelihood of organ formation.
The research aimed at growing kidneys, which are frequently transplanted organs and among the first to develop in human fetuses. The team implanted about 2,000 pig embryos into 13 surrogate pigs, resulting in kidney development within 20 days. After full growth, the embryos were analyzed for human stem cell content.
Despite efforts to minimize cell death, only a few embryos survived. Genetic testing confirmed the presence of human genetic sequences in the surviving embryos, indicating the potential for organ development from human stem cells within the pig embryos.
While the embryos showed signs of developing human kidneys, compatibility issues were identified, and human cells were found in other parts of the fetus’s body. The researchers concluded that the technique shows promise for growing human-compatible organs in the future.
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Source: sciworthy.com
