This work builds on an earlier Yale-led project that restored circulation and certain cellular functions in the brain of a dead pig. The technology used in this study has since been dubbed BrainEx. The researchers decided to modify a version of BrainEx called OrganEx.
Cardiac arrest was induced in anesthetized pigs who were treated with OrganEx, which eventually took over the work done by the heart and lungs and was given an experimental fluid containing compounds that can promote cellular health and suppress inflammation.
Six hours later, the researchers found that certain key cellular functions were active in many areas of the pigs’ bodies, including the heart, liver and kidneys.
“Under the microscope, it was difficult to distinguish between a healthy organ and one that had been treated with OrganEx technology after death,” said Zvonimir Vrselja, one of the study’s researchers.
Additional studies are still being planned to determine whether the results are accurate, and rigorous ethical review by other scientists and bioethicists is still needed.
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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com
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