·What is death? In 2019, this system, called BrainEx, successfully "resurrected" the pig's brain 4 hours after death, and maintained it for 6 hours. Three years later, an upgraded system attempts to "revive" vital organs throughout the pig's body. The approach could potentially increase the availability of transplanted organs.
For decades, scientists have sought to protect cells and organs from the oxygen deprivation that can occur after a stroke, heart attack or breathing stops. In 2019, Nenad Sestan of Yale University and others used reperfusion to successfully "reanimate" pig brains for 6 hours.
Writing late on August 3rd in the journal Nature, Sestein et al. describe a system called OrganEx that enables oxygen to recirculate throughout a pig's body, allowing it to recycle an hour after cardiac arrest. Successful preservation of cell and organ function and activity.
It is worth mentioning that the preservation of transplanted organs, a major challenge in the field of organ transplantation, may also benefit from OrganEx technology, which reverses the harmful effects of prolonged ischemia in cells and organs. Will there be new breakthroughs in organ transplantation? Can OrganEx get rid of the shackles of ethics and truly benefit mankind?
In 2019, a group of Yale University scientists used a technology called BrainEx to break the world's perception of "death".
The system, called BrainEx, allowed pigs to successfully "reanimate" their brains 4 hours after they died, and maintained it for 6 hours. As soon as the news came out, the world was shocked, and the neuroscientist Nenad Sestan, who was blurring the boundary between life and death at the time, successfully brought OrganEX, an upgraded version of BrainEx, to us three years later.
Restoring the function of cells and vital organs throughout the pig
Without oxygen, mammalian cells die quickly. But paradoxically, restoring oxygen to deprived cells can also lead to stress and damage -- a phenomenon scientists call reperfusion or reoxygenation injury.
To solve this problem, scientists have struggled for years in the field of reperfusion technology. Recently, the Yale University team of Cestain created the OrganEX system based on the upgrade of the BrainEX system three years ago, and used their hands again on pigs that had suffered cardiac arrest.
The researchers then functionally compared OrganEx with a more traditional cardiopulmonary replacement device, ECMO, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system that pumps the pig's own blood with fresh oxygen into the body.
They put the pigs in cardiac arrest and left them in place for an hour after they died, then gave them six hours of systemic recirculation and reoxygenation.
They also performed an in-depth analysis of pig brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas tissue, showing reduced cell destruction after OrganEx perfusion compared to ECMO, and more evidence that OrganEx perfusion promotes Cellular repair processes, such as in pig kidney cells, show cell proliferation.
In conclusion, the researchers found through this study that OrganEx was shown to preserve tissue integrity, reduce cell death, and restore specific molecular and cellular processes in multiple vital organs such as the heart, brain, liver, and kidney. It is a very promising breakthrough that promises to increase the availability of transplanted organs.
They "resurrected" a dead pig brain
Prior to the current study, Seistein's group had developed a technology called BrainEx that "revives" pig brains by restoring some level of metabolic activity in pig brain cells after up to six hours of hypoxia.
The idea originated in the early 20th century, when scientists tried to experimentally keep the brain active after the heart stopped beating, but it was more difficult to implement.
Interestingly, previous studies have shown that cells taken from the brain can still perform normal activities, such as making proteins, long after death.
Based on these findings, Sestein had a bold idea-he wanted to find out if the entire brain could be "resurrected" hours after the death of a living body?
So he led his teammates to a slaughterhouse near the laboratory to buy 32 pig heads for experiments.
Four hours after the pig's death, the pig head was taken into the lab, and the researchers began perfusion using the BrainEx system, which injected cryoprotective perfusate into the pig's cerebral veins and arteries, a system that delivers nutrients and oxygen to brain cells. Simulates the flow of blood.
Sestein, who has completed this series of experiments, has not stopped his research. Today, three years later, he has successfully "resurrected" some organ and cell functions in pigs.
The Future of OrganEx: Treating Disease, Protecting Organs for Transplantation
Ethical issues have never left his research since Sestein first "resurrected" the pig brain. We can't help but wonder, does the restoration of some functions of the brain and body mean that we can be "resurrected" or that the definition of death will be overturned?
Responding to these questions, study co-author Zvonimir Vrselja, a neuroscience research scientist at Yale University, said in an interview, "At no point during the experiment did we observe organized electrical activity associated with perception, consciousness, or awareness. Activity, clinically speaking, it's not a living brain, but it's a brain with active cells."
So even if the researchers managed to restore specific molecular and cellular processes in some of the vital organs throughout the pig's body, such as the heart, brain, liver and kidneys, it did not count as bringing the pig back to life.
But it is undeniable that the emergence of OrganEx technology may be able to change the treatment status of some diseases involving vital organs such as the heart.
The results of this study revealed significant differences between OrganEx and ECMO in gene expression for bodily functions in animals, including cell death and inflammation, suggesting that OrganEx has the potential to lead to new therapeutic strategies for people who have had a heart attack or stroke, and of course The safety of the components of this system in specific clinical situations remains to be investigated.
If we look a little further, we will find that OrganEx has a considerable prospect in the field of organ transplantation.
The researchers found through experiments that the OrganEx system can reoxygenate and resuscitate isolated organs, and that inhibitors in the perfusate can inhibit the rate of cell death, thereby prolonging the time that organs remain active after ex vivo.
Therefore, they believe that the OrganEx system may improve the existing perfusion methods and effects of organ donors, which is undoubtedly a good news in the field of organ transplantation, and can change the shortage of donors to a certain extent.
References:
1. Improved organ recovery after oxygen deprivation. Nature
2. Cellular recovery after prolonged warm ischaemia of the whole body. Nature
3. Pig's brain brought back to life, sort of, Yale scientists say. USAtoday.
4. Disembodied pig brains revived: Your questions answered. Nature
For decades, scientists have sought to protect cells and organs from the oxygen deprivation that can occur after a stroke, heart attack or breathing stops. In 2019, Nenad Sestan of Yale University and others used reperfusion to successfully "reanimate" pig brains for 6 hours.
Writing late on August 3rd in the journal Nature, Sestein et al. describe a system called OrganEx that enables oxygen to recirculate throughout a pig's body, allowing it to recycle an hour after cardiac arrest. Successful preservation of cell and organ function and activity.
It is worth mentioning that the preservation of transplanted organs, a major challenge in the field of organ transplantation, may also benefit from OrganEx technology, which reverses the harmful effects of prolonged ischemia in cells and organs. Will there be new breakthroughs in organ transplantation? Can OrganEx get rid of the shackles of ethics and truly benefit mankind?
In 2019, a group of Yale University scientists used a technology called BrainEx to break the world's perception of "death".
The system, called BrainEx, allowed pigs to successfully "reanimate" their brains 4 hours after they died, and maintained it for 6 hours. As soon as the news came out, the world was shocked, and the neuroscientist Nenad Sestan, who was blurring the boundary between life and death at the time, successfully brought OrganEX, an upgraded version of BrainEx, to us three years later.
Nenad Sestan
This time, what he wants to resurrect is the circulatory system of the entire pig body. Why is OrganEx so amazing?Restoring the function of cells and vital organs throughout the pig
Without oxygen, mammalian cells die quickly. But paradoxically, restoring oxygen to deprived cells can also lead to stress and damage -- a phenomenon scientists call reperfusion or reoxygenation injury.
To solve this problem, scientists have struggled for years in the field of reperfusion technology. Recently, the Yale University team of Cestain created the OrganEX system based on the upgrade of the BrainEX system three years ago, and used their hands again on pigs that had suffered cardiac arrest.
Overview of OrganEx Technology and Workflow
In this study, the researchers optimized the perfusate required for reperfusion, changing the cryoprotectants and antibiotics it contained, among other things. They used a computer-controlled system to pump perfusate throughout the pig's body, involving a perfusion pump, oxygenator and hemodialysis device, capable of maintaining stable levels of electrolytes and other essential molecules in the perfusate.The researchers then functionally compared OrganEx with a more traditional cardiopulmonary replacement device, ECMO, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system that pumps the pig's own blood with fresh oxygen into the body.
They put the pigs in cardiac arrest and left them in place for an hour after they died, then gave them six hours of systemic recirculation and reoxygenation.
Circulation and blood/perfusion properties in perfusion protocols
Studies have shown that ECMO cannot achieve proper perfusion of all organs, and researchers have found that many smaller blood vessels have collapsed. In contrast, the use of the OrganEx system achieved complete reperfusion while maintaining stable oxygen consumption, and the researchers did not detect the typical hypoxic electrolyte disturbances and abnormally acidic body fluids.They also performed an in-depth analysis of pig brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas tissue, showing reduced cell destruction after OrganEx perfusion compared to ECMO, and more evidence that OrganEx perfusion promotes Cellular repair processes, such as in pig kidney cells, show cell proliferation.
In conclusion, the researchers found through this study that OrganEx was shown to preserve tissue integrity, reduce cell death, and restore specific molecular and cellular processes in multiple vital organs such as the heart, brain, liver, and kidney. It is a very promising breakthrough that promises to increase the availability of transplanted organs.
They "resurrected" a dead pig brain
Prior to the current study, Seistein's group had developed a technology called BrainEx that "revives" pig brains by restoring some level of metabolic activity in pig brain cells after up to six hours of hypoxia.
Introduction to the study in the journal Nature
How did the magical idea of "resurrection of pig brains" come about?The idea originated in the early 20th century, when scientists tried to experimentally keep the brain active after the heart stopped beating, but it was more difficult to implement.
Interestingly, previous studies have shown that cells taken from the brain can still perform normal activities, such as making proteins, long after death.
Based on these findings, Sestein had a bold idea-he wanted to find out if the entire brain could be "resurrected" hours after the death of a living body?
So he led his teammates to a slaughterhouse near the laboratory to buy 32 pig heads for experiments.
Four hours after the pig's death, the pig head was taken into the lab, and the researchers began perfusion using the BrainEx system, which injected cryoprotective perfusate into the pig's cerebral veins and arteries, a system that delivers nutrients and oxygen to brain cells. Simulates the flow of blood.
BrainEx schematic
After 6 hours of continuous perfusion, the number of dead cells in the cerebral cortex of the pigs was reduced compared with the control group, and the cells could still perform some functions, which brought the pigs back to life to some extent.Sestein, who has completed this series of experiments, has not stopped his research. Today, three years later, he has successfully "resurrected" some organ and cell functions in pigs.
The Future of OrganEx: Treating Disease, Protecting Organs for Transplantation
Ethical issues have never left his research since Sestein first "resurrected" the pig brain. We can't help but wonder, does the restoration of some functions of the brain and body mean that we can be "resurrected" or that the definition of death will be overturned?
Responding to these questions, study co-author Zvonimir Vrselja, a neuroscience research scientist at Yale University, said in an interview, "At no point during the experiment did we observe organized electrical activity associated with perception, consciousness, or awareness. Activity, clinically speaking, it's not a living brain, but it's a brain with active cells."
So even if the researchers managed to restore specific molecular and cellular processes in some of the vital organs throughout the pig's body, such as the heart, brain, liver and kidneys, it did not count as bringing the pig back to life.
But it is undeniable that the emergence of OrganEx technology may be able to change the treatment status of some diseases involving vital organs such as the heart.
The results of this study revealed significant differences between OrganEx and ECMO in gene expression for bodily functions in animals, including cell death and inflammation, suggesting that OrganEx has the potential to lead to new therapeutic strategies for people who have had a heart attack or stroke, and of course The safety of the components of this system in specific clinical situations remains to be investigated.
If we look a little further, we will find that OrganEx has a considerable prospect in the field of organ transplantation.
The researchers found through experiments that the OrganEx system can reoxygenate and resuscitate isolated organs, and that inhibitors in the perfusate can inhibit the rate of cell death, thereby prolonging the time that organs remain active after ex vivo.
Therefore, they believe that the OrganEx system may improve the existing perfusion methods and effects of organ donors, which is undoubtedly a good news in the field of organ transplantation, and can change the shortage of donors to a certain extent.
References:
1. Improved organ recovery after oxygen deprivation. Nature
2. Cellular recovery after prolonged warm ischaemia of the whole body. Nature
3. Pig's brain brought back to life, sort of, Yale scientists say. USAtoday.
4. Disembodied pig brains revived: Your questions answered. Nature
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