The use of porcine tissue continues to grow in medical research. Due to the high degree of similarity between swine and human bodies, researchers have found numerous cases where studies on pig tissue can potentially translate to humans – such as in this 2017 article originally published in the Journal of Cellular Biology.
Studying Thermal Ablation in Porcine Livers
The study focused on understanding the pig liver’s response to radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the use of electricity to destroy tumorous cells through heating. The issue at stake was whether the liver’s natural healing response, periablational enhancement, was affected by the heat generated by the procedure. Studies such as this March 2012 paper from Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology indicated that this response could result in incomplete tumor removal.
This was done by measuring responses from both the aorta and portal veins, with the conclusion that the artery was responsible for most of the periablational enhancement. In turn, this suggested the use of methods such as arterial balloon occlusion to improve the outcome of RFA.
While these studies were done entirely on porcine livers, the authors themselves believed the results could be applied to human livers, saying “we think that our results can be transferred to humans, since porcine animal models have broadly and successfully been used in translational research.”
Studying Porcine Organs Improves Human Medicine
This isn’t the only time porcine tissue has been used in liver research. Previously, the Journal of Cellular Biology published 2016 research showing that ventral incisional hernias following liver transplant could be treated with porcine non-cross-linked biological patches, substantially improving patient outcomes.
More recently, in January 2024, doctors and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania successfully attached a genetically modified pig liver to a brain-dead patient. It was able to filter blood for the patient for 72 hours until the experiment was terminated. This indicates that there is a genuine possibility in the idea of transplanting pig livers into humans, which would in turn substantially improve the available supply of transplant livers.
Research into porcine organs is truly improving human lives – and Animal Biotech Industries, Inc., has proudly been part of that research for over twenty years. We supply a full range of porcine tissue, organs, and other post-mortem material to researchers. Our focus is on the scrupulous harvesting, packaging, and transportation of our products so that your research materials are always in prime condition.
Please contact us to discuss how we can help your research succeed.
