There are many people around the world who are waiting for a kidney transplant. Many people even lose their lives due to the non-availability of organs for transplant on time. In such a situation, for the first time, the success of Chinese scientists in successfully developing human kidneys with human cells in pig embryos has brought a ray of hope.
During the research, scientists found the normal formation of the structure and tubule of a developing human kidney after 28 days in pigs. Researchers at the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health in China said integrating human stem cells with pig embryos has been challenging because their cells compete with human cells.
He said that both cells have different needs. So the researchers first made genetic changes within the pig embryo so that it would not compete. Also, human pluripotent stem cells were modified so that they were capable of integration with pig cells.
These cells were then cultured in a special medium, transformed into cells resembling early human embryonic cells, and put into pigs.
The researchers found that human kidneys were still developing normally after 28 days. Researchers are in favor of developing it for a longer period of time. Also, they want to do research on the development of other organs.