Following recent success by American scientists, a research team based in Germany is planning to breed and clone a number of genetically-modified pigs, with the intention of using their hearts for life-saving transplants in humans. 

The US completed the world’s first pig-to-human heart transplant last month

Pig to human heart transplants have gained much discussion in the medical research community after a group of American scientists were able to successfully transplant a heart into a patient in the US last month. In a groundbreaking surgery, a team at the University of Maryland Medicine used a pig’s heart with 10 modifications as a transplant for a man suffering from a terminal illness. 

Eckhard Wolf, a scientist at Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich, said that his team wants to build on the success of the US research team, having chosen to modify the Auckland Island breed of pig, and hoping to have them ready for transplants in 2025. “Our concept is to proceed with a simpler model, namely with five genetic modifications,” Wolf added. 

Animal rights activists have expressed concerns

While the transplants can be used to save the lives of people with failing organs and serious problems with their health, animal rights activists have expressed concerns. They argue that by using animals for transplants, scientists are effectively creating them with the sole intention of them being human organ factories, and campaigners argue that this is unethical. 

Activists also note that other animals, such as monkeys, are a fundamental part of the research process, and are used to test the viability of transplant options for humans. In recent years, a number of petitions have been circulating in Germany, with the intent to ban future research on this subject, so as to protect the rights of animals.