Pig embryo at 33 days of development showing early human heart cell growth. These pig–human hybrid embryos survived up to 21 days — a breakthrough in regenerative medicine and organ transplantation research.
Credit: Daniel Sambraus/Science Photo Library
🧬 A Scientific Milestone: Beating Human Hearts in Pig Embryos
For the first time in history, scientists have successfully grown tiny human hearts in pig embryos—and watched them beat. This incredible breakthrough, presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research conference in Hong Kong, marks a major advancement in the field of organ regeneration and transplant science.
Researchers led by developmental biologist Lai Liangxue at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health managed to keep the pig–human hybrid embryos alive for 21 days, during which the human-cell-based hearts developed and started to beat.
🧪 What Are Human–Animal Chimaeras?
Human–animal chimaeras are embryos that contain both human and animal cells. The long-term goal is to grow human organs inside animals like pigs to help address the global organ shortage crisis. Scientists use this method to cultivate human-compatible organs without relying solely on human donors.
To build a human heart in pigs, researchers first genetically disable the pig's ability to grow its own heart by knocking out specific genes. They then inject human stem cells into the embryo at a very early stage, hoping that the human cells take over and develop the heart.
🐖 Why Use Pigs?
Pigs are biologically compatible for such experiments because:
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Their organ size is similar to that of humans
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They reproduce quickly
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They are already used in biomedical research
Lai’s team has previously grown early-stage human kidneys in pigs. But growing a beating human heart marks a bold and new scientific frontier.
❤️ The Process: From Cell to Beating Heart
Here’s how the team did it:
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Genetic Engineering: Knocked out two key pig genes essential for heart formation.
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Cell Reprogramming: Human stem cells were enhanced to resist cell death and support better growth inside pigs.
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Embryo Injection: These engineered human cells were injected at the morula stage, when the embryo has only a dozen rapidly dividing cells.
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Implantation: The embryos were implanted into surrogate pigs and grew for 21 days.
By the end of that period, the hybrid hearts reached a size comparable to a human heart at that embryonic stage—about the size of a fingertip—and were visibly beating.
🔬 What’s Next?
Though the study is yet to be peer-reviewed, it provides strong proof that growing human heart tissue in pigs is possible. The major challenge now is ensuring these organs develop fully and function properly without disrupting the pig's biology. Researchers also need to ensure ethical standards are maintained in human-animal hybrid research.
The findings could revolutionize transplant medicine, potentially allowing doctors to grow custom-matched human organs for patients in need.
🌍 Why It Matters
With thousands dying every year while waiting for organ transplants, breakthroughs like this bring hope. If perfected, growing human organs in animals could one day eliminate long waitlists, reduce transplant rejection rates, and save countless lives.
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