Pigs Successful Hosts of Transplanted Stem Cells

One of the biggest hurdles in stem cell therapy is finding a host that won't reject the transplanted cells. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) have shown that scientists need look no further, because they have created a new line of genetically modified pigs that are successful hosts.

"The rejection of transplants and grafts by host bodies is a huge hurdle for medical researchers," R. Michael Roberts, Curators Professor of Animal Science and Biochemistry and a researcher in the Bond Life Sciences Center, said in a university news release. "By establishing that these pigs will support transplants without the fear of rejection, we can move stem cell therapy research forward at a quicker pace."

Randall Prather, an MU Curators Professor of reproductive physiology, is the creator behind this new special line of pigs. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details how the team of researchers implanted human pluripotent stem cells in the pigs, who didn't reject the stem cells, a major feat in the world of stem cell therapy.

Prather specially developed the pigs with immune systems that allow the pigs to accept all transplants or grafts without rejection. He says achieving this success with pigs is notable because pigs are much closer to humans than many other test animals.

"Physically, pigs are much closer to the size and scale of humans than other animals, and they respond to health threats similarly," Prather explained. "This means that research in pigs is more likely to have results similar to those in humans for many different tests and treatments."

"Now that we know that human stem cells can thrive in these pigs," Roberts added, "a door has been opened for new and exciting research by scientists around the world."

"Hopefully this means that we are one step closer to therapies and treatments for a number of debilitating human diseases."