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A pig heart transplant in Assam in 1997, , RAHUL KARMAKAR, ‘GUWAHATI, On January 7, doctors at the, University of Maryland Medical School in the U.S. made, news when they transplanteda genetically modified pig, heart into a 57-year-old man., Few remember now that, Dhaniram Baruah, a cardiothoracic surgeon based in, Sonapur near Guwahati,, transplanted the organs of a, pig into a human body in, 1997. However, Dr. Baruah’s, xenotransplantation procedure ended badly., , , , , , , , whose organs could be, , Process of replacing, , human organs with those, from other mammals, , , , A good match, , Pigs are promising, sources for transplants, because their organs, closely match the size, and shape of humans’, , Xenotransplantation is, the process of grafting or, transplanting organs or tissues between members of, different species., , “It is not easy for a human, body to accept the organs of, a pig. Time will tell whether, the human body will accept, the organ of a genetically-altered pig,” the 72-year-old, , doctor, who lost his voice after undergoing throat surgery some time ago, said via, S.A. Achrekar, a senior scientist at his research institute, in Sonapur., , H# Yenedscans plontation \), , At an international conference in 1995, Dr. Baruah, had said pigs are close to humans in various aspects. He, had at the time developed an, “electric motor-driven artificial biological heart made of, ox pericardium that was implanted in a pig”., , Dr. Baruah said he had, carried out 102 animal experiments on xenotransplantation. He transplanted a pig’s, heart, lung and kidneys to, Purno Saikia, a 32-year-old, end-stage organ failure patient, on January 1, 1997. Jo, ite), , Hope from pig organs, Raweerenets pilus Seiten @ senor eee Sard cg Paw, , ‘Safely transplanted into humans, g., new hope to the thousands of il people waiting for organs., , & Scientists cloned pigs with altered GGTA1 genes, , unfertilized pig egg, 5 Pigiets with only cells, eggs implanted, one working GGTAT in female pig, gene are born, 6 In about 18 months, breeding of, cloned pigs produces piglets with, both GGTA1 genes deactivated, What's next, ® Researchers will work to Bi If the pigs’ organs can be transplanted, , breed pigs that can't transfer a — successtully into chimpanzees or other, , harmtul pig virus to humans Primates, human testing may start by 2006, , @ Pigs have two copies of the GGTA, gene, which makes pig cells trigger the human, immune system, which then rejects a transplanted pig organ, , 4 DNA of moditied, Celis injected into, , nathan Ho, a Hong Kongbased doctor, had assisted, him in the transplantation at, his research centre., , But Sakia died a week later, triggering an uproar. The, two doctors were arrested, on January 10 under the, Transplantation of Human, Organs Act, 1994, booked for, culpable homicide and imprisoned for 40 days. Subsequently, the Assam government formed an inquiry, committee that found pig, heart implants to be unethical and unlawful., , @ nonworking copy, , , , , , omaunaeas einen