Porcine tissues are very close to human tissues so it is natural to think that porcine tissues can be used to repair people’s injuries, like tendon and ligament damage.
In his article “Animal Tissue Will Build Ligaments and Tendons of the Future,” Dr. Kevin Stone explains how well porcine tissues repair torn human tendons and ligaments and actually make them stronger than the original tissue. He writes:
“Human donor tissues work quite well but the number of young healthy people dying and donating their tissues just doesn’t meet the need. There is no reason that in the 21st century we shouldn’t be able to find, not just suitable substitutes, but better ones. And if we are truly going to advance the science of human reconstruction, couldn’t we do better than just replacing what broke? In marches the lowly pig. “
Pigs grow quickly, and their tissue is even thicker than human tissue. Porcine tissues are definitely the wave of the future, used to replace damaged human tissue and to test devices that are used to repair people’s injuries.
Past research has shown that porcine bladder tissue can regrow human muscles, while tissue from a big’s intestines have proved useful at repair rotator cuff injuries.
