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U.S. man recovering after ‘breakthrough’ pig-heart transplant

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(Last Updated On: January 11, 2022)

A U.S. man with terminal heart disease was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart in a first-of-its-kind surgery, and three days later the patient is doing well, his doctors reported on Monday.

The surgery, performed by a team at the University of Maryland Medicine, is among the first to demonstrate the feasibility of a pig-to-human heart transplant, a field made possible by new gene editing tools, Reuters reported.

If proven successful, scientists hope pig organs could help alleviate shortages of donor organs.

“This was a breakthrough surgery and brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis. There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients,” Dr. Bartley Griffith, who surgically transplanted the pig heart into the patient, said in a statement.

“We are proceeding cautiously, but we are also optimistic that this first-in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the future,” Griffith added.

According to the report for 57-year-old David Bennett of Maryland, the heart transplant was his last option.

“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,” Bennett said a day before his surgery, according to a statement released by the university.

To move ahead with the experimental surgery, the university obtained an emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on New Year’s Eve through its compassionate use program.

“The FDA used our data and data on the experimental pig to authorize the transplant in an end-stage heart disease patient who had no other treatment options,” said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, who heads the University’s program on xenotransplantation – transplanting animal organs into humans.

About 110,000 Americans are currently waiting for an organ transplant, and more than 6,000 patients die each year before getting one, according to organdonor.gov.

Bennett’s genetically modified pig heart was provided by Revivicor, a regenerative medicine company based in Blacksburg, Virginia. On the morning of the surgery, the transplant team removed the pig’s heart and placed it into a special device to preserve its function until the surgery, read the report.

Pigs have long been a tantalizing source of potential transplants because their organs are so similar to humans. A hog heart at the time of slaughter, for example, is about the size of an adult human heart.

Other organs from pigs being researched for transplantation into humans include kidneys, liver and lungs.

According to Reuters prior efforts at pig-to-human transplants have failed because of genetic differences that caused organ rejection or viruses that posed an infection risk.

Scientists have tackled that problem by editing away potentially harmful genes.

In the heart implanted in Bennett, three genes previously linked with organ rejection were “knocked out” of the donor pig, and six human genes linked with immune acceptance were inserted into the pig genome.

Researchers also deleted a pig gene to prevent excessive growth of the pig heart tissue.

The work was funded in part with a $15.7 million research grant to evaluate Revivicor’s genetically-modified pig hearts in baboon studies.

In addition to the genetic changes to the pig heart, Bennett received an experimental anti-rejection drug made by Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals based in Lexington, Mass.

Health

Public Health minister meets with head of the UN refugees agency

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(Last Updated On: March 22, 2024)

Dr. Qalandar Ebad, the Minister of Public Health met with Leonard Zulu, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on Thursday in Kabul to discuss issues facing the health sector in the country.

Among the issues discussed was that of the establishment of new health centers for returnees in the country.

Ebad said the provision of better health services for compatriots and returnees was one of his priorities and requested the cooperation of this organization in this field.

Leonard Zulu assured Ebad of the organization’s continued cooperation.

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Ebad addresses gathering of health sector supporting organizations in Doha

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(Last Updated On: February 29, 2024)

The Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Qalandar Ebad on Thursday attended a meeting of health sector-supporting organizations in Doha, Qatar and spoke about the need to focus on certain areas of healthcare in the country.

In his speech, Ebad spoke of work needed to reform the health system, joint supervision, self-sufficiency of the health sector, standardization of health services at village and district level and provision of all-round health services.

He asked international colleagues in the field of health to work more on reducing administrative costs and delivering aid in a proper and correct manner.

Ebad said that if excessive administrative expenses are prevented, it will have a positive effect on the expenses in the field of health services.

He also emphasized that the release of the country’s frozen assets would be beneficial for the health sector especially for mothers and children.

It is a big and positive step for the independence of Afghanistan’s health system, development and standardization of health services, which should be taken by the international community, he said.

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Health

Polio vaccination campaign underway in Afghanistan

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(Last Updated On: February 26, 2024)

The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with international institutions, on Monday launched the second sub-national polio vaccination campaign for 2024.

The campaign runs in different parts of the country from 26 to 29 February 2024, and aims to reach 7.6 million children below the age of five.

“We are committed to eradicating polio in Afghanistan with the cooperation of our partners. We are working day and night and continue supplementary polio vaccination campaigns and health care services in order to reach the goal of completely eradicating polio throughout the country,” Acting Public Health Minister Qalandar Ebad said.

“The support of all Afghans, especially elders and religious scholars, is important in polio eradication activities. It is necessary for them to participate in the fight against polio and keep their children healthy,” he added.

Polio is a viral disease that cannot be cured and can only be prevented and eradicated by vaccination.

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