Xenotransplantation

“Xenotransplantation” refers to the use of hearts taken from genetically modified pigs. These animals have several pig-specific genes turned off and certain human genes added to increase their compatibility with humans.

Only two such transplants have been carried out worldwide so far, and in both cases the patients survived only a few weeks. Significant progress is still needed, particularly in improving immunosuppressive treatments.

Decellularized pig heart

Tissue engineering techniques may help in the use of decellularized pig hearts. In this process, all the cells of the animal organ are removed, leaving only a collagen and elastin scaffold that can then be repopulated with cells from the future recipient.

At the University of Padua, a research project is currently underway in which a complete decellularization procedure has been developed: starting from a pig heart, cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells are removed, obtaining an “empty” matrix ready to be repopulated with the patient’s induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Successfully developing this technique would mean obtaining a heart fully compatible with the recipient’s genetic makeup, with no need for immunosuppressive therapy.