FDA OKs trial of pig livers as dialysis-like treatment for liver failure
The first-of-its-kind clinical trial has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, according to pig producer eGenesis, which announced the step Tuesday with its partner OrganOx.
An estimated 35,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized each year when their liver suddenly fails. There are few treatment options and death rates as high as 50%. Many don't qualify for a liver transplant or can't get a match in time.
The new study, which is expected to get underway later this spring, is a twist on the quest for animal-to-human organ transplants. Researchers won't transplant the pig liver but instead will attach it externally to study participants.
The liver is the only organ that can regenerate, but the question is whether having the pig's liver filter the patient's blood for several days could give it that chance.
In experiments with four deceased bodies, that 'bridge' attempt showed the pig liver could support some functions of a human liver for two or three days, said Mike Curtis, CEO of Massachusetts-based eGenesis, which genetically modifies pigs so their organs are more humanlike.
The trial will enroll up to 20 patients in intensive-care units who don't qualify a liver transplant, he said. A device made by Britain's OrganOx, currently used to preserve donated human livers, will pump participants' blood through the pig liver.
It's the latest step in attempts to use gene-edited pig organs to save human lives. Pig kidneys from eGenesis and another pig producer, United Therapeutics, are being used in experimental transplants.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economist
5 hours ago
- Economist
China is quietly upstaging America with its open models
While American tech giants are spending megabucks to learn the secrets of their rivals' proprietary artificial-intelligence (AI) models, in China a different battle is under way. It is what Andrew Ng, a Stanford University-based AI boffin, recently called the 'Darwinian life-or-death struggle' among builders of China's more open large language models (LLMs). Their competitive zeal should be a wake-up call for the West.
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
J&J to invest $2 billion to boost US manufacturing as drug tariffs loom
Aug 21 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), opens new tab said on Thursday it would invest $2 billion in North Carolina as it aims to expand its U.S. manufacturing presence amid looming drug import duties proposed by President Donald Trump's administration. Major drugmakers, including Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab and AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab, have also committed to shell out billions of dollars to scale up their U.S. footprint in response to Trump's efforts, including tariff threats. Earlier this month, Trump said he plans to impose phased-in tariffs for the pharmaceutical sector, which could start small and eventually rise to 250%. J&J said on Thursday it has reached a 10-year agreement with Tokyo-based contract drug developer Fujifilm Diosynth for its more than 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, which would create about 120 new jobs. Fujifilm in April had signed a more than $3 billion deal with Regeneron (REGN.O), opens new tab to manufacture and supply drug products for the U.S.-based company at its North Carolina facility for a span of 10 years. J&J would also announce plans for additional manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and the expansion of current U.S. sites in the coming months. The healthcare conglomerate had said in March it would raise U.S. investments by 25% to more than $55 billion over the next four years, including a separate plant in Wilson, North Carolina.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Researchers take steps towards creating robot pets of the future
The system, called Augmenting Zoomorphic Robotics with Affect (AZRA), aims to address the shortcomings of the current generation of these 'zoomorphic' robots, which often have very limited options for interactivity. In the future, AZRA-based systems could enable older robot pets, and even previously non-interactive toys like plush dolls, to provide experiences which are much closer to those provided by real animal companions. The richer experiences AZRA enables could help provide more pet-like experiences for people who are unable to keep real animals for reasons of health, cost or restrictions on rental properties. When users of the AZRA system wear augmented reality devices like Meta's Quest headset around their robot pets and toys, it projects a sophisticated overlay of virtual facial expressions, light, sound and thought bubbles onto the toy's surfaces and surroundings. What the viewer sees though a headset (Image: UofG) AZRA is underpinned by a sophisticated simulation of emotions based on studies of real animal behaviour. It can make robots seem more convincingly 'alive' by imbuing them with moods which fluctuate unpredictably and can be affected by the touch or voice of their owner. Eye contact detection and spatial awareness features means it knows when it is being looked at, and touch detection enables it to respond to strokes – even protesting when it is stroked against its preferred direction. It can request attention when ignored, or relax peacefully when sensing its owner is busy with other activities. The system can also adjust the enhanced pet's behaviour to better suit their owners' personality and preferences. If users are high-energy and playful, the robot slowly adapts to become more excitable. In quieter households, it becomes more relaxed and contemplative. READ MORE: The team say their research could also help cut down on electronic waste by reducing the likelihood of robot pets and toys being disposed of after their owners become tired of them. The development of AZRA will be presented as a paper at the 34th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication in the Netherlands on 26th August. Dr Shaun Macdonald, of the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science, is the paper's lead author and led the development of AZRA. He was initially inspired to develop the system after receiving a less-than-inspiring gift. He said: 'I was given a little robot pet that had a very basic set of movements and potential interactions. It was fun for a few days, but I quickly ended up losing interest because I had seen everything it had to offer. 'I was a bit disappointed to realise that, despite all the major developments in technology over the last 25 years, zoomorphic robots haven't developed much at all since I was a child. It's all but impossible to build a relationship with a robot pet in the way you might with a real animal, because they have so few behaviours and they become over-familiar very quickly. 'As a researcher in human-computer interaction, I started to wonder whether I could build a system which could overlay much more complex behaviours and interactions on the toy using augmented reality. Being able to imbue older robots and pets with new life could also help reduce the carbon footprint of unwanted devices by keeping them from landfill for longer.' Headsets are required to bring the 'pet' to life (Image: UofG) Dr Macdonald used a simple off-the-shelf zoomorphic pet, the Petit Qoobo, as the basic real-world platform on which to overlay the augmented reality elements during the development of the system. Guided by previous research into the emotional needs of dogs, Dr Macdonald developed Zoomorphic Robot Affect and Agency Mind Architecture, or ZAMA. ZAMA provides the AZRA system with a kind of artificial emotional intelligence, giving it a series of simulated emotional states which can change in response to its environment. Rather than simple stimulus-response patterns, the system provides the augmented reality pet with an ongoing temperament based around combinations of nine personality traits including 'gloomy', 'relaxed' or 'irritable'. It has daily moods that fluctuate naturally, and a long-term personality which develops over time through interactions with its owner. It simulates desires for touch, rest, food, and socialisation which are subtly randomised each day. When its needs aren't met, the AR robot will actively seek interaction, displaying emojis and thought bubbles to communicate what it wants. The researchers are already working to explore the future potential of the technology, including participatory studies where volunteers can interact with the robot and then adjust its emotional parameters in real-time to explore what feels natural versus artificial in robot behaviour. Dr Macdonald added: "AZRA turns a robot from being a device that I almost entirely choose to interact with into a device which can engage me in interaction itself. It feels more like me and another entity attempting to interact and communicate, rather than me make-believing almost all of that interaction myself. "One of the main advantages of this system is that we don't have a fixed 'this is how this should work' approach. What we have is a really great development test bed where we can try different ideas quickly and see what works. As AR glasses become more mainstream, this could become a way to breathe new life into existing robots without having to replace them entirely." Dr Salma ElSayed of Abertay University and Dr Mark McGill of the University of Glasgow are co-authors of the paper. The team's paper, titled 'AZRA: Extending the Affective Capabilities of Zoomorphic Robots using Augmented Reality', will be presented at the IEEE RO-MAN 2025 conference at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands on Tuesday 26th August.
