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This could be a groundbreaking method that will save many lives. American scientists have managed to restore the activity of cells and organs in pigs that have been dead for an hour. A perfusion system called OrganEx has only been tested in animals, but if all goes to plan, it could prove to be a lifeline for those struggling with one of the world’s most common causes of death: heart attack and stroke.
- The starting point for scientists at Yale University was the question of how long after death does irreversible damage to cells and organs
- In search of answers, they used the natural perfusion mechanism, i.e. the flow of body fluid through a tissue or organ of the body. With the help of a specially developed machine, a special solution was pumped through the main arteries of the pig’s heads
- After six hours, it was found that some cell functions were still working
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Author: Walter Willems / The World
The study raises the question of the boundary between life and death
The pigs had been dead for an hour. Despite this, scientists were able to restore the activity of cells and organs. Although the method is not fully developed yet, it offers many possible uses. In addition to heart attack and stroke patients, it can be important for organ donation.
American scientists used a special perfusion system called OrganEx to restore certain cell and organ functions to pigs that had been dead for an hour. This is reported by a team from Yale University in the journal “Nature”.
«Even under a microscope, it was difficult to tell a healthy organ from one that was treated with OrganEx after death»Co-author Zvonimir Vrselja said in a statement from the university. “These recent results raise many questions – not the least of which is whether the medical and biological determination of death needs to be revised,” writes Brendan Parent of New York University in his commentary on Nature.
What is it all about? If mammalian cells are cut off from the supply of oxygen, a cascade of various putrid processes begins, at the end of which cells, organs, and sometimes even the entire body die. However, it is not known exactly how long it will take for irreversible damage to occur.
The Yale team, led by neurologist Nenad Sestan, raised this question three years ago. During this time, he restored some cell activity in the pigs’ brains that had been slaughtered about four hours earlier. With the help of a specially developed machine, the solution was pumped through the main arteries of the heads. Six hours later, some cell functions, such as nerve cell activity, metabolic activity, or blood vessel responses to drugs, were found to be still working.
This is the starting point for a new study that goes far beyond what has been done so far: ‘If we were able to restore some cell function in the dead brain – the organ known to be most sensitive to ischemia – we assumed something similar will be possible in other authorities »explains Sestan.
The rest of the text below the video.
“Scientists recorded complex movements of the torso, neck and head”
The study was conducted on pigs in cardiac arrest. An hour after their death, the scientists attached the animals to the OrganEx machine. For six hours, she pumped a mixture of pig blood and a special fluid into the circulatory system. Everything was done according to a set pattern.
The perfume contained several ingredients, including anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory agents, preventing excessive immune reactions and preventing cell death. “We were able to restore circulation throughout the body, which surprised us,” concludes Sestan.
The team then recorded the restored function of cells and sometimes even organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys – for example, the heart’s ability to contract. Gene expression analyzes have shown that repair processes take place in the body.
Scientists even recorded complex movements of the torso, neck and head in many joints and muscle units. This indicates that some motor functions are preserved. As in 2019, the team also found cell activity in the brain, but there was no evidence of electrical activity or consciousness.
The study has potential for new treatment strategies
“Overall, our technology needs to be further optimized and expanded to fully understand its wider implications for tissue deprivation,” the team writes. Researchers point out that this applies particularly to the regeneration of certain functions of the brain, as well as to previously unexplained movements of the neck and head. The technology is very promising, but still far from applicable to humans – researchers emphasized at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
«It’s comprehensive and well-designed the study has the potential to open up new treatment strategies for people who have had a heart attack or stroke »Writes Robert Porte from the University Hospital of Groningen in the commentary on Nature. “It is conceivable that the OrganEx system (or parts of it) could be used to treat such people in an emergency.” However, the safety of the procedure must first be clarified. As of today, it looks like the system would be best suited for organ donation.
Jan Gummert from the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen comments: “If the data were correct, it would certainly be possible to use it in transplant medicine,” says the director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery and Cardiac Surgery.
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Transplant surgeon Uta Dahmen from Jena University Hospital is also impressed. “This system and the knowledge gained through it have great potential for a wide range of clinical applications,” says the head of Experimental Transplant Surgery. You can imagine, for example, the improvement of organs previously damaged prior to transplantation, or the treatment of organs that do not have sufficient blood supply after a heart attack..