Buenos Aires.– A team of Argentine scientists has achieved the birth of a genetically modified pig with the goal of advancing the development of organs suitable for human transplants, a milestone that represents a significant step for regenerative medicine and xenotransplantation.
The animal is the first cloned pig in Latin America and the third documented worldwide, following cases recorded in the United States and China, according to academic sources reported this Friday.
The achievement was made possible thanks to the joint work of a scientific consortium composed of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and the Institute of Biotechnological Research of the National University of San Martín (UNSAM).
The researchers explained that the genetic modification seeks to reduce the risk of immunological rejection in a potential transplant of animal organs to human patients, one of the main barriers to the development of xenotransplants.
This breakthrough opens new perspectives for addressing the global shortage of organs for transplant, a problem that affects thousands of people who remain on waiting lists to receive a compatible organ.
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Although years of research, safety testing, and approval from regulatory authorities are still required before this technology can be applied in clinical practice, scientists believe that the birth of this pig represents a decisive step toward the development of life-saving alternatives through translational medicine.
The project consolidates Argentina as one of the countries with the greatest advances in biotechnology applied to health in the region and positions its scientific institutions among the few in the world that have achieved this type of development.
