Japanese science is entering a new, historic stage in the field of medicine. In the country, a startup called PorMedTec plans to breed specially cloned pigs for human organ transplantation by 2027. This was reported by the publication "Nikkei Asia."
According to reports, PorMedTec company is collaborating with US biotechnology giant eGenesis to create genetic copies of regular pigs using their cells. In this process, pig DNA is pre-modified to reduce the likelihood of rejection by the human body.
Within the framework of the project, a special farm will be built in Osaka. It is planned to grow at least 100 cloned pigs per year. When the animals grow sufficiently, their organs are sent to medical centers for transplantation.
The farm will be equipped with modern technologies: the temperature, movement, and health of the pigs will be constantly monitored through surveillance cameras with an artificial intelligence system.
Analysts note that pigs' organs are very similar to humans in size and structure. Therefore, in the future, they can become an important source of human organ replacement.
In February 2023, Meiji University and eGenesis announced the creation of three cloned pigs for human organ transplantation for the first time in Japan. Later, in November of the same year, Japanese scientists successfully transplanted a pig's kidney to a monkey.
The PorMedTec project was launched by Meiji University in 2017 with the goal of developing new generation biomaterials in the field of regenerative medicine and contributing to the development of world medicine.
As a reminder, Chinese scientists recently conducted the world's first experiment on pig lung transplantation to humans. This successful experiment was conducted at a medical center in Guangzhou, where the animal's genes were modified using CRISPR technology - it had six edited genes.
According to scientists, such experiments will play an important role in solving the problem of donor organ insufficiency in the future and will expand the possibilities of saving human life.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
