Page 23 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Successful transplant of gene- edited pig heart into human
IN a first-of-its-kind surgery, a 57-year-old male with terminal heart disease received a suc- cessful transplant of a genetically modified pig heart on January 10 and continues to do well ac- cording to doctors.
heart preserved until sur- gery.
the pig heart into the pa- tient and said, “This was a breakthrough surgery and brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis.”
It was the only available option for the patient.
Organs from genetically modified pigs have been the focus of much of the research in xenotransplan- tation, in part because of physiologic similarities between pigs, humans and non-human primates.
“There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential recipients,” he said.
Elevated prices of soymeal could lift production costs for Chinese hog farmers already struggling with huge losses and may push some to exit the market.
China’s soymeal prices hit record highs
The historic surgery was conducted by the Univer- sity of Maryland Medi- cine.
Three genes responsible for rapid antibody-medi- ated rejection of pig organs by humans were ‘knocked out’ in the donor pig.
“We are proceeding cau- tiously, but we are also optimistic that this first- in-the-world surgery will provide an important new option for patients in the future.”
This organ transplant demonstrated for the first time that a genetically modified animal heart can function as a human heart without immediate rejec- tion by the body.
Six human genes respon- sible for immune accept- ance of the pig heart were inserted into the genome.
CHINA'S soymeal fu- was the main driver side relatively weak do- ready left, after months
On the morning of the transplant surgery, the sur- gical team removed the pig’s heart and placed it in the perfusion device – a machine that keeps the
Sitonia Consulting co- founder Darin Friedrichs said, “Soybean imports in the second half of last year were low and im- porters were waiting for margins to improve.”
Margins have recov- ered to positive territory this year but remain well below the long-term av- erage, stifling crusher appetite for soybeans.
Farmers in Shandong, a major hog producer, were losing $A63.45 with each pig raised as at February 14.
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Australian Pork Newspaper, March 2022 – Page 23
And one additional gene in the pig was knocked out to prevent excessive growth of the pig heart tissue, which totalled 10 unique gene edits made in the donor pig.
MD and Professor of Surgery at UMSOM Mu- hammad M Mohiuddin joined the faculty five years ago and established the Cardiac Xenotrans- plantation Program with Dr Griffith.
tures soared to record highs recently with concerns about the scale of South Amer- ica's drought-hit soy- bean crop and tight- ening meal supplies in domestic markets.
behind the meal rally, though tightness in the domestic meal market was also supportive.
mestic soymeal prices since mid-2021 have pressured crushing mar- gins in China, and most crushers faced hefty losses late in the year.
of negative margins in 2021 and widening losses in 2022.
Bartley P Griffith MD surgically transplanted
Dr Mohiuddin said, “This is the culmination of years of highly com- plicated research to hone this technique in animals with survival times that have reached beyond nine months.”
Elevated prices of soymeal – the top protein ingredient in animal feed – could lift production costs for Chinese hog farmers, who are already struggling with huge losses, and may push some to exit the market.
“But now there are pro- duction issues.
Cash prices of soymeal in the district jumped about 10 percent to more than $A880 per tonne in mid-February because of tightening supplies after a protracted stretch of low crushing activity.
The woes are ex- pected to continue as China entered the tradi- tionally weak consump- tion season after the Spring Festival holiday while meal prices push higher.
“The FDA used our data and data on the experi- mental pig to authorise the transplant in an end-stage heart disease patient who had no other treatment op- tions.
The most actively traded soymeal futures on the Dalian Com- modity Exchange rallied to $A835.40 per tonne this week, the highest price on record and up 13 percent from before the week-long Chinese New Year holiday.
Chinese importers had been counting on abun- dant and cheap soybean supplies from Brazil to start arriving in Feb- ruary 2022 to fulfil their needs for the first quarter of 2022.
According to Mr Frie- drichs, if hog margins are terrible, crushers don't want to have huge stocks of soy meal be- cause farmers might leave the industry, and the crushers could have trouble selling the stock. Huge losses
According to official data, China's sow herd was 43.29 million head by end of December 2021, down 2.9 per- cent from the previous quarter.
“The successful proce- dure provided valuable information to help the medical community im- prove this potentially life- saving method in future patients.”
Worries about how smaller South American crops will tighten the global soybean balance
But the South Amer- ican crop issues have caught some off guard. Low margins
Bartley P Griffith MD surgically transplanted the pig heart into a 57-year-old male patient.
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“US futures have ral- lied a lot and Dalian meal is playing catch- up,” Mr Friedrichs said.
Mysteel analyst Li Ming said, “If soymeal prices remain high, it will increase farming costs – pushing more farmers big and small to further cut production capacity.”
Strong international soybean prices along-
Some farmers have al-
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