US Research Farm Raises Pigs to Produce Organs for Humans
2024-07-30
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1Scientists are raising pigs to produce human organs at a specialized research farm in the American state of Virginia.
2A medical company called Revivicor runs the farm in the rural community of Blacksburg.
3The area is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains.
4Workers at the farm follow intense measures in an effort to prevent infection and disease spread.
5About 300 pigs of different ages live on the research farm.
6Some animals raised there have already provided the first genetically changed pig organs ever transplanted into humans.
7Individuals working at the center must undergo a series of safeguards aimed at preventing infections in the organs grown for people.
8Matthew VonEsch is an executive with United Therapeutics, the parent company of Revivicor.
9He told The Associated Press the research farm was designed with the goal of protecting the pigs "against contamination from the environment and from people."
10David Ayares is the founder and chief scientific officer of Revivicor.
11He described the farmed pigs to the AP as "precious animals" because of their ability to help save human lives.
12The research farm looks very different from a traditional animal farm.
13This is because of the strong security and cleanliness measures needed.
14It was built to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety requirements.
15For example, pigs living at the farm only drink water that is highly filtered. All food also gets disinfected.
16Revivicor's farm aims to produce human organs that can be used in scientific experiments or actual transplants.
17There is currently a great need in the U.S. for organ transplants.
18Thousands of people are waiting for a donor organ.
19But experts say there will never be enough human donors to fill that need.
20Using animal-grown organs for human transplants is one possible way to deal with the shortage.
21Scientists use genetic engineering methods to grow organs in animals.
22These organs behave more like human ones than animal ones, which reduces the chances that the body will reject the animal organs.
23Teams have been working for many years to grow more humanlike organs in pigs.
24So far in the United States, four "compassionate use" transplants have happened.
25These cases involved last-minute experiments to transplant pig organs into humans who faced life-threatening conditions.
26Two transplants involved hearts and two involved kidneys.
27Revivicor provided both of the hearts and one of the kidneys.
28All four patients died within a few months. Still, experts say each transplant offered the possibility for valuable, real-life research.
29The goal is to one day attempt to put pig organs into human transplant patients who are not quite as sick.
30Revivicor's Ayares said the company is aiming to produce organs in the pigs that closely meet the size and needs of each patient.
31The idea is that such organs will perform better than human-donated organs because they are younger and free of disease.
32Ayares added that transplant doctors who have received organs from Revivicor's farm say, "Oh my god, that's the most beautiful kidney I've ever seen."
33He said the reaction is the same when they get "a pink healthy happy heart from a young animal."
34Officials at Revivicor say the biggest difficulties they face include overcoming the rejection of pig organs in humans and preventing animals from carrying unknown infection risks.
35Scientists try to deal with the rejection issue by employing different engineering methods to make the pig organs as humanlike as possible.
36Genetic changes are made to the pig eggs that Revivicor receives.
37The engineered eggs are then nurtured in the lab with the hope of producing a healthy embryo.
38The embryos are then taken to the research farm to be put inside living pigs.
39It is expected to take years of experimentation to prove whether animal organ transplants will work long-term in human patients.
40But if the efforts succeed, United Therapeutics plans to open additional research farms to produce up to 2,000 organs a year.
41Ayares said the efforts are currently at a point where several studies have suggested "there's no immediate rejection" of the genetically engineered pig organs.
42He added, "The next two or three years are going to be super exciting."
43I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Scientists are raising pigs to produce human organs at a specialized research farm in the American state of Virginia. 2A medical company called Revivicor runs the farm in the rural community of Blacksburg. The area is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Workers at the farm follow intense measures in an effort to prevent infection and disease spread. 3About 300 pigs of different ages live on the research farm. Some animals raised there have already provided the first genetically changed pig organs ever transplanted into humans. 4Individuals working at the center must undergo a series of safeguards aimed at preventing infections in the organs grown for people. 5Matthew VonEsch is an executive with United Therapeutics, the parent company of Revivicor. He told The Associated Press the research farm was designed with the goal of protecting the pigs "against contamination from the environment and from people." 6David Ayares is the founder and chief scientific officer of Revivicor. He described the farmed pigs to the AP as "precious animals" because of their ability to help save human lives. 7The research farm looks very different from a traditional animal farm. This is because of the strong security and cleanliness measures needed. It was built to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety requirements. 8For example, pigs living at the farm only drink water that is highly filtered. All food also gets disinfected. 9Revivicor's farm aims to produce human organs that can be used in scientific experiments or actual transplants. 10There is currently a great need in the U.S. for organ transplants. Thousands of people are waiting for a donor organ. But experts say there will never be enough human donors to fill that need. 11Using animal-grown organs for human transplants is one possible way to deal with the shortage. 12Scientists use genetic engineering methods to grow organs in animals. These organs behave more like human ones than animal ones, which reduces the chances that the body will reject the animal organs. Teams have been working for many years to grow more humanlike organs in pigs. 13So far in the United States, four "compassionate use" transplants have happened. These cases involved last-minute experiments to transplant pig organs into humans who faced life-threatening conditions. Two transplants involved hearts and two involved kidneys. Revivicor provided both of the hearts and one of the kidneys. 14All four patients died within a few months. Still, experts say each transplant offered the possibility for valuable, real-life research. The goal is to one day attempt to put pig organs into human transplant patients who are not quite as sick. 15Revivicor's Ayares said the company is aiming to produce organs in the pigs that closely meet the size and needs of each patient. The idea is that such organs will perform better than human-donated organs because they are younger and free of disease. 16Ayares added that transplant doctors who have received organs from Revivicor's farm say, "Oh my god, that's the most beautiful kidney I've ever seen." He said the reaction is the same when they get "a pink healthy happy heart from a young animal." 17Officials at Revivicor say the biggest difficulties they face include overcoming the rejection of pig organs in humans and preventing animals from carrying unknown infection risks. Scientists try to deal with the rejection issue by employing different engineering methods to make the pig organs as humanlike as possible. 18Genetic changes are made to the pig eggs that Revivicor receives. The engineered eggs are then nurtured in the lab with the hope of producing a healthy embryo. The embryos are then taken to the research farm to be put inside living pigs. 19It is expected to take years of experimentation to prove whether animal organ transplants will work long-term in human patients. But if the efforts succeed, United Therapeutics plans to open additional research farms to produce up to 2,000 organs a year. 20Ayares said the efforts are currently at a point where several studies have suggested "there's no immediate rejection" of the genetically engineered pig organs. He added, "The next two or three years are going to be super exciting." 21I'm Bryan Lynn. 22The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 23_____________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25transplant - v. to perform a medical operation in which an organ or other part that has been removed from the body of one person is put into the body of another person 26contaminate - n. to make something dirty or poisonous 27precious - adj. very important or valuable 28filter - v. to pass a liquid or gas through a piece of equipment in order to remove solid pieces or other substances 29compassionate - adj. showing compassion: a feeling of sympathy for others who are suffering 30nurture - v. to care for or encourage the growth of something