These are exciting times for swine research and its possibilities for translational biomedical research. Every year, major breakthroughs involving pigs are announced, such as a recent “OrganEx” study out of Yale, aimed at improving the long-term viability of donor organs. It points at a future where organs could be harvested from the donor several hours after death, while still being suitable for transplantation.
Swine research has the potential to improve human medicine and potentially save many thousands of lives each year. When researchers combine solid post-mortem research models with ethically sourced porcine tissue, the results can be good for the entire human race!
Recent Breakthroughs in Swine Research: OrganEx
The Yale study focused on restoring blood flow and cellular function within post-mortem swine organs. An euthanized pig was treated with a specially developed fluid, called OrganEx, intended to protect cellular structure and prevent the bloating which normally begins to occur in organs within minutes of death. The results were dramatic. An hour after death, they were able to restore cellular organ function. Even six hours post-mortem, the team was able to restore blood flow within the pig’s body, and the heart even began contracting again.
According to one researcher on the project, Zvonimir Vrselja, “Under the microscope, it was difficult to tell the difference between a healthy organ and one which had been treated with OrganEx technology after death.”
One of the biggest problems with harvesting human organs for transplants is the extremely narrow window of time during which the organs can be obtained and preserved while still functional. Due to this, countless organs that could have been transplanted are lost. But if this research proceeds successfully, it opens the possibility of organs being harvested an hour or more after the person’s death, while still being suitable for transplant. Additionally, there may be applications for ex vivo surgeries, which help keep organs functioning while they’re outside the body.
How Swing Research Improves Research Outcomes?
This isn’t the only way swine tissue studies are contributing to translational biomedical research. Another exciting line of research is the creation of hydrogels from swine tissue, which can be used as extracellular matrices that support the regrowth of muscle or skin tissue. These porcine-derived hydrogels led to superior regeneration in test subjects, including human test subjects, while being less prone to immune rejection than other attempts at creating ECMs.
In addition, swine are excellent for testing medical prosthetics as well. Pigs are now seen as the preferred way to study cardiac devices, such as pacemakers and replacement heart valves, due to the similarity between pig and human hearts. These studies provide more useful feedback and testing than even simian models, allowing for a smoother transition into full human testing of the devices.
Combined, these porcine studies are pushing medicine forward and helping to save human lives. Organ transplants, heart attacks, and muscular damage - among other conditions – are all being improved through these tests. The potential impact going forward is huge.
And it’s all thanks to post-mortem swine research.
How Valuable is Ethically Sourced Porcine Tissue for Research?
Porcine models are valuable in human medical research for a very simple reason: no other animal on earth so closely resembles the functions of the human body, not even apes. Pig organs function very similarly to those organs in humans and are even typically around the same size. Even the gene-regulatory systems are similar.
From their hearts to their skin, almost every aspect of a pig’s body can be studied as a close analog to the human equivalent organs.
Thanks to this, researchers looking for animal model alternatives to traditional live testing, or rodent/simian studies, are turning to porcine models instead. What was considered a novel idea 20+ years ago is now becoming one of the best and most reliable ways to conduct biomedical tests prior to human testing.
In addition, pigs are far more economical to study than simians. Swine are much more readily available and prove to be a better choice of a model specifically due to their similar anatomy to humans.
So today, it’s becoming increasingly common for a proposed treatment to begin with rodents, move that research to pigs, and then use the pig results to apply for human studies.
However, for best results, you need ethically sourced animal tissue.
ABI Proudly Supports Ongoing Porcine Research
When conducting serious studies, it’s essential to work with anatomy professionals who understand proper tissue handling and preservation. You need to be confident that the tissue comes from healthy animals, harvested using consistent, reliable methods. Ideally, the tissue should be USDA-inspected tissue, ensuring it’s free from disease and other contaminants that could compromise your results. The quality of your research starts with the quality of your materials.
This is exactly what Animal Biotech Industries provides! ABI is one of the nation’s leaders in ethically sourced animal tissue, USDA-certified and harvested by trained anatomists to your order specifications. We can harvest any materials you need, in any quantity, sent to you in environmentally friendly packaging. Next-day delivery is our standard shipping process, and same-day deliveries are also possible depending on your location.
Our goal is to make your research better, and we’re proud to say we’ve supplied the animal tissues in several of the groundbreaking studies conducted in recent years. If your project calls for the best and most reliable ethically sourced porcine tissue for research, click here to browse our full catalog – or just give us a call to discuss your needs.
