This is another research work that has garnered quite some attention! Plus, this is only the beginning. It may redefine death!
However, brain activity is apparently not restored!
Remember to say a prayer for all the test animals!
"Scientists have demonstrated a new system that can restore crucial molecular and cellular functions in pigs one hour after death. Experiments showed that some tissue damage from loss of oxygen can be reversed, which could widen the organ transplantation pool and may even lead to new treatments for heart attacks. ...
Even better, some key molecular and cellular processes were restored in several organs of the OrganEx pigs, including the heart, brain, liver and kidneys. Gene expression patterns indicated that even some repair processes were occurring in the body. ...
The team notes that no electrical brain activity associated with normal brain function was detected during the procedure ..."
Now, researchers has made a breakthrough in doing just that. They started with a system called BrainEx, which they demonstrated in 2019 by restoring some brain function to pigs as long as four hours after death.
The new system, named OrganEx, is essentially a scaled-up version of that technology. The machine is connected to an animal's natural circulatory system, pumping through a fluid specifically designed to counteract the metabolic and electrolyte imbalances that occur after blood flow stops. ...Even better, some key molecular and cellular processes were restored in several organs of the OrganEx pigs, including the heart, brain, liver and kidneys. Gene expression patterns indicated that even some repair processes were occurring in the body. ...
The team notes that no electrical brain activity associated with normal brain function was detected during the procedure ..."
"... Using a new technology the team developed that delivers a specially designed cell-protective fluid to organs and tissues, the researchers restored blood circulation and other cellular functions in pigs a full hour after their deaths ...
The technology consists of a perfusion device similar to heart-lung machines — which do the work of the heart and lungs during surgery — and an experimental fluid containing compounds that can promote cellular health and suppress inflammation throughout the pig’s body. Cardiac arrest was induced in anesthetized pigs, which were treated with OrganEx an hour after death. ...
Six hours after treatment with OrganEx, the scientists found that certain key cellular functions were active in many areas of the pigs’ bodies — including in the heart, liver, and kidneys — and that some organ function had been restored. For instance, they found evidence of electrical activity in the heart, which retained the ability to contract. ...
As in the 2019 experiment, the researchers also found that cellular activity in some areas of the brain had been restored, though no organized electrical activity that would indicate consciousness was detected during any part of the experiment."
The technology consists of a perfusion device similar to heart-lung machines — which do the work of the heart and lungs during surgery — and an experimental fluid containing compounds that can promote cellular health and suppress inflammation throughout the pig’s body. Cardiac arrest was induced in anesthetized pigs, which were treated with OrganEx an hour after death. ...
Six hours after treatment with OrganEx, the scientists found that certain key cellular functions were active in many areas of the pigs’ bodies — including in the heart, liver, and kidneys — and that some organ function had been restored. For instance, they found evidence of electrical activity in the heart, which retained the ability to contract. ...
As in the 2019 experiment, the researchers also found that cellular activity in some areas of the brain had been restored, though no organized electrical activity that would indicate consciousness was detected during any part of the experiment."
From the abstract:
"After cessation of blood flow or similar ischaemic exposures, deleterious molecular cascades commence in mammalian cells, eventually leading to their death. Yet with targeted interventions, these processes can be mitigated or reversed, even minutes or hours post mortem, as also reported in the isolated porcine brain using BrainEx technology. To date, translating single-organ interventions to intact, whole-body applications remains hampered by circulatory and multisystem physiological challenges. Here we describe OrganEx, an adaptation of the BrainEx extracorporeal pulsatile-perfusion system and cytoprotective perfusate for porcine whole-body settings. After 1 h of warm ischaemia, OrganEx application preserved tissue integrity, decreased cell death and restored selected molecular and cellular processes across multiple vital organs. Commensurately, single-nucleus transcriptomic analysis revealed organ- and cell-type-specific gene expression patterns that are reflective of specific molecular and cellular repair processes. Our analysis comprises a comprehensive resource of cell-type-specific changes during defined ischaemic intervals and perfusion interventions spanning multiple organs, and it reveals an underappreciated potential for cellular recovery after prolonged whole-body warm ischaemia in a large mammal."
No comments:
Post a Comment