The transplantation of animal hearts into the human body as a replacement for damaged organs has been attempted by scientists over the past decade. The likelihood of it becoming a common surgery increased this year with the successful transplantation of a pig’s kidney and heart into the human body.
Researchers from NYU Langone Health have announced the success of transplanting two pig hearts into the human body this week. In both surgeries, the recipient’s body showed no symptoms of rejection. In order for the pig's heart to be accepted by the human body, it has undergone a process of changing 10 genetic markers first.
The patient only received the organ for 72 hours before dying. Both recipients have actually been confirmed to have brain death and have submitted the body to science. They only live using breathing aids. NYU Langone Health previously performed the transplantation of swine kidneys into the human body which was also brain death for 54 hours.
Although transplants are only temporary, researchers believe they are on track to make xenotransplant transplants - which use animal organs - a solution to the issue of donor organ shortages. The first living human to receive a swine heart died last March after two months with deaths believed to be caused by animal viruses.