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Special to Food Travel USA & The Dougherty Report
Scientists are at it again. They have successfully managed to transplant human stem cells into pigs. You may be wondering what it all entails. Pigs are considered to be closely anatomically linked to humans and this is why transplanting the stem cells is possible. The argument here is that pigs respond to health threats the same way humans do and that they are much closer to the size and scale of humans as opposed to other animals. Previous tests had been made with mice and rats, which were all unsuccessful and this involved stem cell therapies together with transplants and grafting of cells that eventually resulted in rejection by the hosts. So now that we know a big breakthrough has been made in the scientific world, what next?
There are some serious moral considerations at play. Where do they find these cells? Often in hospitals when placentas would otherwise be discarded and through other medical procedures. Right to life advocates have been concerned that fetal tissue may be used for stem cell therapy. Watchdog groups have remained diligent in their efforts to prevent fetal stem cells from being used for research purposes.
Researchers are excited about the possibilities in improving the “human condition”, overall.
This major breakthrough is believed to be a step closer in finding treatments for certain incapacitating human diseases. This technology may aid patients who suffer from severe immune deficiencies by developing treatments for them. Some of these diseases are considered fatal. Another reason why pigs actually respond well to a stem cell transplant is they also have compromised immune systems, which imitate that of human patients who are diagnosed with immune deficiency problems. However, there is concern as to how to protect them from other pathogens. All this has been taken into account and after a way has been found to protect them from pathogens, they could bring immense breakthroughs. This applies to trial stem cell therapy and whole organ transplants.
In the very near future, scientists may bring an end to fatal diseases characterized by immune deficiency problems. This gives scientists and researchers a field day to work on new discoveries that may redeem humans from a number of debilitating human diseases.
