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Modified pig hearts can be transplanted in only a few years, says the surgeon who performed the first successful transplant 40 years ago in the UK.
Speaking on the 40th anniversary of his revolutionary surgery, Sir Terence English said that his former assistant from 1979 would try to replace a human kidney with a swine one later this year.
Experts believe that this may lay the foundation for more complex transplants of animal organs into the human body in a process called xenotransplantation.
“If the result of a human kidney pig transplant is satisfactory, it is very likely that we will be able to do the same thing in a few years' time with the heart, " the 87-year-old Englishman told the Sunday Telegraph.
"If it works with the kidneys, it will also work with the heart ... It will change everything about transplants," he explained.
The pig heart has a very similar anatomy to the human heart, so it is used as a model for developing new treatments. Heart diseases are currently considered a global problem that has grown into a pandemic affecting at least 26 million people worldwide.
Scientists hope that the use of pig hearts could contribute to the development of a revolutionary method for humanity to deal with cardiovascular disease.
The 2024 Human Freedom Index (HFI), compiled by the Cato Institute and the Canadian Fraser Institute, evaluates personal and economic freedoms across 165 countries
Bulgarian researchers from the "Plant Cell Biotechnology" department at the Center for Plant System Biology and Biotechnology
Known as chronic wasting disease, the fatal progressive neurodegenerative illness was first identified in the 1960s.
Bulgaria has confirmed a new case of African swine fever in a wild boar near in the northeastern town of Devnya, the national food safety authority said on Wednesday.
Bulgaria’s Minister of Health Kiril Ananiev met in Sofia with the National Transplant Coordinator of Croatia Dr Mirela Bušić, reported the Bulgarian National Radio.
Coral transplantation gives hopes to rescue the Great Barrier Reef - the largest reef system on the north-east coast of Australia, mediapool reported.
Prof. Todor Kantardzhiev, former director of the National Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, has warned that ticks, which can sense human breathing from up to 20 meters away
Starting from May 1, the obstetrics and gynecology department at the "Rahila Angelova" Multi-Profile Hospital in Pernik will be shut down due to a significant shortage of medical staff
Cases of acute gastrointestinal illness continue to be reported in Bansko
The Sofia Emergency Care Center has received a fully equipped ambulance as a donation
Bulgaria ranks as one of the top countries in Southeast Europe for ordering healthy meals
The third emergency medical helicopter has arrived in Bulgaria, as confirmed by the Center for Emergency Medical Assistance by Air on its Facebook page
Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update
Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase
