The scientists created for the first time embryonic hybrids of humans and pigs – Infobae.com

researchers integrate pluripotent cells of a species, capable of dividing, to specialize and to generate tissues in embryos of pigs.

The scientists created for the first time embryonic hybrids of humans and pigs in a landmark study that raises the prospect of being able to use in transplants human organs developed in animals.

The finding is due to the team that leads the Spanish Juan Carlos Izpisúa: “We have shown that this technology allows an organism of a species to generate an organ composed of cells of another species,” the researcher said. “This provides a very powerful tool to study the evolution of the species, the appearance and development of diseases and the search for new drugs, and can lead, ultimately, to the possibility of producing human organs for transplant“, he added.

Part of the team of the scientist Juan Carlos Izpisúa that develops in human tissues and organs in embryos of pigs.

The computer scientist’s Izpisúa began developing a reliable method capable of integrating human stem cells in an embryo animal and generate after the cells from which are formed the organs in the body and identified the culture conditions that allowed the growth of this new type of stem cell with great proliferative capacity.

We have demonstrated that this technology allows an organism of a species to generate an organ composed of cells of another species

In a second moment it is proved that it was possible to do this in higher animals, such as pigs and cows. however, the scientists were able to create mice with the eyes, pancreas and heart of rat. After, implanted in a female mouse to continue its growth.

The embryos developed normally, except for the fact that in each mouse formed a pancreas of rat. This initial experiment led the team to generate other organs, such as eye and heart.

The scientist Juan Carlos Izpisúa ensures that the findings of these stem cells that develop in rats and embryos of the pig are "a hope" for the advancement of science and medicine.

Remarkably, the pluripotent stem cells of rat were able to generate a gall bladder in the mouse, the body that is not present in rats: this shows that the growth of human organs in animals for transplantation would be possible, ” said Jun Wu, scientific team Izpisúa at the Salk Institute of California.

however, to generate human organs in mice does not have sense because they are too small and with a physiology very different, so they decided to work with pigs. After you generate various types of stem cells to be incorporated in embryos pig, then the experiment was stopped at four weeks of gestation to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the technology, also due to ethical considerations.

These results, obtained thanks to experiments with 1 500 embryos pig, “represent the proof of concept of integration of human cells in an animal species large,” said Jun Wu.