The researchers' technique could increase the number of organs suitable for transplant.
Scientists from Yale University in the USA were able to partially restore the viability of pig organs one hour after the animal died. According to the BBC, this is a breakthrough that could further increase the number of organs available to people for transplants and give doctors more time to save lives.
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Research by scientists is also changing the perception of what happens between life and death. Experts say the discovery is “truly outstanding” and “incredibly important”.
When the heart stops beating, the body is deprived of oxygen and other nutrients necessary for survival. Organs increase in size, blood vessels collapse, and cells begin to die.
This cell death was thought to happen once and for all, but scientists have now managed to repair some of the damage in the organs of animals that have been dead for an hour.< /p>
“We can restore some cell function in many vital organs that should have been dead. These cells function several hours after they shouldn't,” said Professor Nenad Sestan.
In 2019, scientists managed to do something similar, but with the brain of a pig. Now the technology called OrganEx has been adapted to work with the whole body.
Researchers used synthetic blood to carry oxygen around the body. Such blood does not coagulate, so it can travel through the pig's blood vessels, which are collapsing. In addition, the scientists administered a cocktail of 13 compounds to interrupt the chemical processes that lead to cell death, as well as a device to pump blood throughout the body to simulate a beating heart.
In experiments, the results of which were published in the journal Nature, 100 pigs were involved. Conducting such experiments was approved based on ethical considerations.
The researchers put the animals into a deep sleep and stopped their hearts. After spending more than an hour in this state, they were connected to the OrganEx system and given a restorative cocktail for six hours. At the same time, the animals continued to be anesthetized throughout the experiment.
After six hours, the scientists opened the pigs and found out that such organs as the heart, liver and kidneys had partially recovered and were able to regain some functionality.
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Electrical activity was restored in the heart, the heart muscle could contract, but the organs did not function at the same level as during life.
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Earlier scientists from the Weizmann Institute in Israel were the first in the world were able to create “synthetic embryos”. At the same time, the researchers did not need sperm, eggs and the fertilization process.
