Simmons, Charles

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Clemson University: TigerPrints

Tigra scientificaVolume 2Issue 1 Tigra scientifica Article 7Fall 2015Man's New Best FriendCharles SimmonsClemson UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/tigraThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in Tigra scientifica by an authorized editor ofTigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu.Recommended CitationSimmons, Charles (2015) "Man's New Best Friend," Tigra scientifica: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 7.Available at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/tigra/vol2/iss1/7by Charles SimmonsEach and every day, an average of  sixteen people in the United States die waiting for an organ transplant.   This number could soon be lowered significantly, thanks to an unlikely source:  pigs. Dr. George Church of  Harvard Medical School has cofounded a company that is working to modify genes in pigs to allow the human body to accept porcine-derived (pig-derived) organs.  Church and colleagues announced at a US National Academy of  Sciences meeting on October 5th they have modified over 60 genes in porcine embryos that could cause disease in humans, and modified additional genes in separate porcine embryos that could trigger an immune response in humans.  Aortic valves, structures that separate the heart and the aorta (the artery that sends oxygenated blood from the heart to the entire body), from pigs have been transplanted into humans since 1969.  The use of  these valves does not pose the same challenge as using whole organs. Valves are unlike organs as they are mostly non-vascular, meaning they do not have much blood flowing through them; therefore, they are not highly exposed to the immune system, the system that causes rejection. So how can porcine organs just be inserted into humans?  Although the sizes of  porcine organs are comparable to human organs, the porcine genome encodes for many porcine, porcine-derived, endogenous retroviruses (PERVs).  PERVs are viruses that are embedded in the porcine genome and cannot be neutralized.  Retroviruses are particularly dangerous since they integrate their genetic material into random places in the host genome, possibly interrupting important gene functions. Seeing as PERVs cannot be neutralized or treated, the best possibility to make the transplant viable is to delete the genes coding for the PERVs.  In addition to the retroviruses, proteins on the surface of  porcine cells called antigens can cause blood clotting and trigger an immune response in the human host. To delete the necessary genes, an innovative molecular biology technique, dubbed CRISPR, was employed. CRISPR allows for researchers to quickly and cheaply alter the DNA of  almost any organism. The challenge to create both sets of  deletions in a single embryo lies ahead of  the researchers, which they note is necessary for pigs intended for organ transplants. If  pigs can help save an average of  16 lives per day, they may surpass dogs as man’s true best friend.12“…they have modified over 60 genes in porcine embryos that could cause disease in humans…”Man’s New Best FriendOver 60 genes altered in pigs in hope of transplanting organs into humans 

Man\u27s New Best Friend

https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&amp;context=tigra

Man\u27s New Best Friend

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