The MIT Technology Review reveals in an article that the pig’s organ was infected by a pathogen that is difficult to detect. This virus might be the cause of the patient’s death.
The first man to have a receipt pig heart died on March 8 without an exact cause being given by doctors. Le MIT Technology Review revealed on May 4 that the transplanted organ was infected with a porcine virus.
David Bennett who suffered from severe heart disease, received a genetically modified pig heart in early January this year, a major milestone in animal-to-human transplants, or xenotransplantation. He died two months later.
The heart came from the biotechnology company Revivicor, which produces genetically modified pigs. « They are supposed to be pathogen free, but the cytomegalovirus in question would be particularly difficult to detect Joachim Denner, a virologist at the Free University of Berlin, told MIT Technology Review. The company declined to comment for the post.
“It probably contributed to the failure”
« It was surprising. This Pig Is Supposed To Be Free Of All Porcine Pathogens, And This One Is Important says Mike Curtis, CEO of eGenesis, a competing company that also breeds pigs for organ transplants. ” Without the virus, would David Bennett have lived? We don’t know, but the infection didn’t help. This probably contributed to the failure ».
Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed the transplant, believes the virus ” was perhaps the actor, or might be the actor, who started all this “. The doctor said the virus does not infect human cells but can damage the organ. According to a German studyhealthy hearts transplanted into baboons survived much longer than infected hearts.
Despite the death, researchers still want to remain optimistic regarding animal-to-human transplants. ” If it was an infection, we can probably prevent it in the future said Bartley Griffith, the transplant surgeon, during his presentation .
