Pig heart transplant success in brain-dead recipients
The organs came from animals that had been genetically modified to help prevent graft rejection, the researchers say
US surgeons have successfully transplanted genetically engineered pig hearts into two brain-dead patients, moving a step closer to a long-term goal of using pig parts to address the shortage of human organs for transplant.
The doctors from New York University (NYU) say the hearts functioned normally with standard post-transplant drugs but without the need for mechanical support.
And there were no early signs of graft rejection during the three-day xenotransplant experiments, the team announced on Tuesday.
