We know that pig anatomy is sufficiently close to that of a human for a transplanted pig heart to support a human (at least for a short time). So why deal with the global stem-cell hysteria when pig embryos are doubtless readily available?
Is the body more or less likely to reject individual stem cells from a nonhuman donor than a whole organ?
From my understanding, ONLY stem cells can form nerve tissue, which is why we can’t regrow limbs. I imagine regrowing an entire joint rather than just a bone might be tricky too.
Some reptiles can regrow their tails, which contain (presumably) bones, and thus, joints, and nervous tissue- how do they do it?
Sorry- it started as one question, and others just kept occurring to me.
Cite for pig hearts being transplanted into humans? Pig valves are used, but this is non-living tissue which is deprived of its antigen markers. Baby Faye had her baboon heart transplant but didn’t live long and I’m unaware of other primate xenodonors, other than some bone marrow experiments. http://www.islet.org/34.htm
Basically rejection is a big problem between human donors. Bring in whole new species, and the rejection risks go waaaaaay up.
Besides, who wants stem cells to repair your body if they come from a pig and hence replace your pancreas with a pig pancreas, which is designed for a rather different diet and lifestyle?
Beats going blind, impotent, onto dialysis and having to have my feet amputated.
Actually, a fair amount of work has been done on this. There was a Frontline documentary about it a year or two back. The experiments they documented including working to genetically engineer pigs to make their tissue better matches for humans and injecting stem cells harvested from fetal pigs into spinal cord injuries. One girl they followed regained a tiny bit of feeling and control of her legs. So it’s an option, and people are looking into it.
Ooh, that link I posted was 8 years old! My bad.
I’d still rather have the work done by human-derived stem cells. But if that weren’t an option, I’d pick cloven feet over no feet.
I forgot to mention one thing from the documentary - all the patients that received any tissue whatsoever from a pig had to sign an agreement promising to do all sorts of things to prevent any pig viruses that may have been present from spreading to anyone else. They can’t ever have unprotected sex again, they can’t donate blood - all kinds of stuff. They also agreed to donate their bodies to science after they die.
I was referring to the valves, but I didn’t know they were dead tissue.
Anyone have insight on the limb-regrowth thing?