an hour agoScientists create human pigs to study disease in humans
Periskopi(4 years ago)
(4 years ago)U.S. Food and Drug Administration [ The FDA requires that all new drugs be tested on animals before they are used in humans. Pigs are a better subject of medical research than rats, because they are closer in size to humans, plus physiology and genetic composition. [...]
In recent years, a research team at the State University of Iowa [Iowa] has found ways to make people even more humane, so closer to humans.
They have successfully transferred components of the human immune system to pigs, more precisely to the part of the functioning immune system where there is a shortage.
This ageic discovery has the opportunity to speed up medical research in many areas, including viruses, vaccine research, and also cancer, reports Periscope from BTH.
Currently, mice are the most used animals for biomedical research, because they've been “humanized” for medical needs over the years. However, the results in mice do not translate well of people, thanks to differences in metabolism, size, and digital functions of cells compared with humans.
So it takes humanized pigs.
Since 2012, the group of scientists in question has worked to develop the technology that is humanizing pigs, who would then be used in biomedical research.
The goal of this group is to continue with the humanization of pigs in order to become fully available for cell therapy testing, as well as research in other areas, including cancer. /Periscope
