Baboons carry pig hearts for more than two years

German and American scientists can maintain pig hearts inside a baboon for more than two years, creating a breakthrough in the field of organ transplants.

According to UPI, the immune system makes cross-species transplants more complex. Usually, the body receives will reject new organs. In a study published April 5 in Nature Communications, scientists use genetic engineering and immunosuppressive drugs to prevent the baboon's body from rejecting pig hearts.

Researchers hope the breakthrough in primate pig heart transplantation will be a prerequisite for human use.(Photo: Africa Studio).

The heart is taken from a genetically modified pig to be more compatible with the immune system of baboons. A special drug and antibody mode ensures the immune system does not overreact.

In the experiment, five baboons were transplanted with pig hearts, while their hearts remained in the body. Simple pig hearts are connected to the circulatory system while the heart of baboons continues to pump blood. Pig heart beat continuously for 945 days.

This milestone broke the previous record of primate heart pig transplantation that the research team achieved in the last 5 years, according to a report from the American Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Pigs have the same genetic and physiological characteristics as humans, a potential source of organs for transplantation in humans. With the growing number of patients waiting for organ donations, scientists are studying ways to cross-transplant between safer and more efficient species.