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Donated bodies are powering gene-edited organ research
Brain-dead bodies are highly sought after for cross-species organ research as scientists work toward new ways of combating disease.
The purpose of the study was to assess whether the organ, which was part of a special pumping device, could still function to clean up toxins from the body, which could possibly lead to a breakthrough in treating patients with acute liver failure. The use of a full body in this way – as an experimental “decadent model” – is still quite rare, but it has been used before and now requests have increased as more companies are exploring animal-to-human organ transplants with the use of tissues from gene-edited pigs. The previous occasion was during the 1980s when Temple University researchers wanted brain-dead bodies as a “no-risk” way to test an early artificial heart made of plastic and metal.
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