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In a study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, scientists from the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, China, said they had successfully grown kidneys containing human cells in pig embryos.
The researchers implanted a total of 1,820 embryos into 13 sows, then terminated the pregnancies at 25 and 28 days for evaluation. The results showed that five of the selected embryos had normal kidneys during development, with the ureters beginning to form to connect to the bladder. These kidneys contained 50%-60% human cells.
Co-author Zhen Dai said there were very few human nerve cells in the pig's brain and spinal cord, and none in the genital area. Although the approach marks the first time a complete organ containing human cells has been grown in a pig, any human cells present in the pig's brain is still a concern, according to Professor Darius Widera, stem cell biology at the University of Reading (UK).
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