Fri, 20 Dec 2002
Pittsburgh Researchers Successfully Transplant Pig's Cells To Mice
In an effort associated with none other than famed transplant doctor Thomas Starzl, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have succeeded in transplanting islet cells from a pig's pancreas into mice - without rejection. [Pittsburgh Post Gazette]
One of the pigs died from causes unrelated to the cloning or the genetic manipulation. The researchers made the most of the opportunity and isolated its pancreatic islet cells, which produce insulin. They injected the cells into experimental mice engineered to mount a furious antibody response to galactose, as humans would do.
Nothing happened.
This raises hope that such a technique may provide the pathway to a cure for diabetes in humans. However, much work remains.
The sheer serendipity involved in the research is mind-boggling: Extensive study in his lab revealed that the galactose gene actually contained a mutation that led to the production of a non-functional enzyme. The chances of that occurring are about one in a trillion.
Posted at: 15:51 | permalink
