Skin, nerve transplants from genetically modified pigs could help humans, but organs are a way off
Elie Dolgin • November 1, 2021
A pig’s kidney was transplanted to a cadaver, but researchers say cross-species organ swaps remain years away
Though the study leader heralded an operation as providing “new hope for an unlimited supply of organs,” last month’s much-publicized transplant of a kidney from a genetically modified pig to a brain-dead human recipient did little to usher in cross-species organ swaps, others say.
Still, the engineered pigs could find less flashy uses today: as donors for skin and nerve grafts, providers of long-lasting heart valves, and sources of allergy-free meat.
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