Channel: NOVA PBS Official

Category: Science & Technology

Tags: organu.s. organ shortagepbsmodern medicineu alabamapig-to-humanu.s. organ transplantus organ transplantethicsequityu marylandpig-to-human heart transplantpig-to-human transplanttransplantus organ shortagepig-to-human organ transplantnovaanimal-to-human transplantscience documentarytransplanting organorgan shortageorgan transplantxenotransplantationmedicinexenotransplantsciencescience newsheart transplantinequitymedical breakthrough

Description: Of the over 100,000 people on the waitlist for an organ in the United States, 17 people die every day. Now in a first, a 57-year-old man received a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig. This kind of animal-to-human surgery, known as xenotransplantation, is the result of decades of research. Even in human-to-human transplants, without proper treatment, the body will reject the new organ: The immune system identifies the transplanted organ as foreign and targets it with killer T-cells and antibodies made by B-cells. Over time, these damage the organ and may cause organ failure. To prevent this, transplant patients take medication that suppresses their immune systems. "The treatment we use to prevent rejection of human organs is not very effective against preventing rejection of a pig organ," heart transplant surgeon and xenotransplantation researcher David Cooper told NOVA. "So we're using some new immunosuppressive drugs. This is the first time in transplantation we've had the opportunity to manipulate the donor rather than just suppress the recipient." Here's how the first pig-to-human heart transplant revealed some of the challenges of xenotransplantation. PRODUCTION CREDITS: Digital Producer: Ana Aceves Production assistance: Christina Monnen, Shota Weaver Archival: Dr. Redoy Ranjan Storyblocks University of Maryland School of Medicine University of Alabama at Birmingham Animations: Edgeworx Studios Music: APM © WGBH Educational Foundation 2022