Cardiac arrest was induced in anesthetized pigs treated with OrganEx, which eventually took over the work of their hearts and lungs and received an experimental fluid containing compounds that can promote cellular health and suppress inflammation. Six hours later, the researchers found that certain basic cellular functions were active in many areas of the pigs’ bodies, including the heart, liver and kidneys. “Under the microscope, it was difficult to tell the difference between a healthy organ and one that had been treated with OrganEx technology after death,” said Zvonimir Vrselja, one of the study’s researchers. Additional studies are still being planned to determine whether the results are accurate, and rigorous ethical review by other scientists and bioethicists is still needed. — [email protected] On Twitter: @farmnewsnow
title: “How Pigs Are Helping Researchers Find Ways To Keep Organs Alive After Death " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-04” author: “Christopher Holly”
August 4, 2022 | 12:36 pm
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale researchers may have found a way to keep organs alive longer after death. Using new technology, they were able to restore blood circulation and other cellular functions in the pigs a full hour after they died. They believe this may help extend the health of human organs during surgery and expand the availability of donor organs. “Not all cells die immediately, there’s a more prolonged series of events,” said David Andrijevic, a research associate in neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine and co-leader of the study. “It’s a process that you can intervene in, stop and restore some cellular function.”
