South Korean Scientists Successfully Transplant A Pig’s Heart Into A Monkey

Could humans one day have pig organs and even wear pig skin?  South Korean scientists are taking the first steps to make this one day possible:

South Korean scientists have successfully transplanted organs from a genetically modified pig to a monkey.

The Rural Development Administration said Wednesday that the monkey remains healthy for a record 51 days after receiving the heart and cornea of a pig named “Mideumi.”

The administration said the transplant was conducted on September 26th by a joint team from Konkuk University Medical Center and the National Institute of Animal Science, a research arm of the state-run agency.

On October 24th, Samsung Medical Center and Hallym University Medical Center jointly transplanted the pig’s skin to a monkey for research.

The pig, engineered by the administration in 2010 for xenotransplantation research, carries a gene that helps prevent transplant rejection from one species to another.   [KBS World Radio]