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Porcine Models Used to Study Radiosurgical Ablation of the Renal Nerve

porcine cadaverAbout 75 million Americans have hypertension, a condition that can lead to stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and elevated risk for heart attack.

Treating this condition can be frustrating. Only about half of all people with hypertension have the disease under control.

New research published earlier this year in the journal Cureus looked at the efficacy of treating refractory hypertension through radiosurgical ablation of the renal nerve.

The researchers – a team that included representatives from the Fogarty Institute for Innovation and CyberHeart Inc. – used a porcine model to complete their study.

According to the study:

“Plasma norepinephrine levels showed a decrease over the six-month time point. Urea, nitrogen, and creatinine levels showed no changes post procedure. Histology documented no significant arterial injury in targeted areas. Renal nerves documented histologic change consistent with nerve ablation.”

In conclusion, CyberHeart’s radiosurgery of the renal nerve is feasible, the study says.

It’s yet another example of how a porcine model helped researchers make discoveries that could make life better for humans. We’ve previously written about the use of porcine models in hernia repair, pancreatic cancer research, and wound care.

Animal Biotech is proud of the role it has played in this kind of research. For more than 25 years, we’ve helped biomedical teams in need of porcine tissues, organs, glands, and organ blocks for their research.

Contact us today to find out how our models can help you make your next discovery.