A porcine heart was kept in a baboon’s stomach, healthy and beating for more than two years, breaking a new world record and showing that xenotransplantation is closer than it is was ever before.
The baboon still has its own heart, so it does not rely on the porcine heart. But the fact that it lived in the baboon’s stomach for a long period of time without getting destroyed by its immune system is very impressive and it suggests that one day we may be able to transplant animal organs to humans. Currently, 22 people die waiting for an organ transplant in USA.