Extracorporeal Assist - Liver, Spleen, and Lung

Area of Science:

• Xenotransplantation research
• Biomedical engineering
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Animal organs (livers, spleens, lungs) can be perfused with human blood.
• Previous studies demonstrate metabolic efficiency of animal livers with human blood.
• Potential for using animal organs in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the metabolic efficiency of animal livers perfused with human blood.
• To explore the use of pig and calf spleens and lungs in conjunction with human blood.
• To investigate the preliminary application of cellular and circulating antibodies from these preparations for immunotherapy in metastatic malignant melanoma patients.
• To assess the feasibility of using pig and calf lungs as biologic oxygenators for human blood.

Main Methods:

• Perfusion of animal livers with human blood.
• Washing of pig and calf spleens free of blood before perfusion.
• Utilization of cellular and circulating antibodies from perfused organs for immunotherapy.
• Laboratory evaluation of pig and calf lungs as biologic oxygenators.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated metabolic efficiency of animal livers perfused with human blood.
• Confirmed function of pig and calf spleens when perfused with human blood.
• Preliminary immunotherapy attempts on five metastatic malignant melanoma patients.
• Laboratory studies evaluating animal lungs as biologic oxygenators.

Conclusions:

• Animal organs, specifically livers, spleens, and lungs, exhibit functional compatibility with human blood.
• These preparations hold promise for supporting patients with liver failure.
• Further research is warranted for immunotherapy applications and as biologic oxygenators.