Research Proves Pigs Hold the Ability to Grow Human Organs

Pigs could grow human organs in stem cell breakthrough

Human organs could be grown inside pigs for use in transplant operations following research using stem cells.

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent

9:15AM BST 19 Jun 2011

Scientists have found they can create chimeric animals that have organs belonging to another species by injecting stem cells into the embryo of another species. The researchers injected stem cells from rats into the embryos of mice that had been genetically altered so they could not produce their own organs, creating mice that had rat organs. The researchers say the technique could allow pigs to grow human organs from patient's stem cells for use as transplants. By using a patient's own stem cells it could help to reduce the risk of the transplanted organ being rejected while also providing a plentiful supply of donor organs. Current organ shortages mean that patients must endure long waiting lists for transplants.

Professor Hiromitsu Nakauchi, director of the centre for stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the University of Tokyo in Japan and who led the research, said: "Our ultimate goal is to generate human organs from induced pluripotent stem cells. "The technique, called blastocyst complementation, provides us with a novel approach for organ supply. We have successfully tried it between mice and rats. We are now rather confident in generating functional human organs using this approach." Read More

It’s unfortunate that this exciting medical breakthrough will be challenged by animal rights activists that would rather see a pig live than a human being. The idea that livestock are equal to human beings is one that groups like the HSUS and PETA try to sell.  This has the potential to save millions of lives and it’s vital that we keep our eye on what’s truly important. 

How Pig Parts Make the World Turn

How Pig Parts Make the World Turn

September 30, 2010 in Agriculture, Business
EatDrinkBetter.com

Christien Meindertsma wondered what happened to the pig parts that don’t make it into the grocer’s freezer as pork. Long ago, people used all the parts of the animals they raised for food. She asked herself, “Do they still use all the parts?” And then she tracked one pig from the farm to the processor and through all the products he ended up in.

She wrote a book about her research, called Pig 05049, and divided the chapters by skin, bones, meat, internal organs, blood, fat, and miscellaneous. She lists the products derived from each body part.

It surprised me how many of these are in everyday products. Before the day even starts, she says, we use shampoo, conditioner, soap, face cream, lotion, toothpaste.    Read More

Most of the critics of animal agriculture have no idea as to how important livestock are in our daily lives.  Besides the obvious of providing us with physical nutrition, we use the co-products in everything from crayons to jet fuel.  If we want to continue supporting our growing population on this planet then livestock will a pivotal role.  There are those that think we should all become vegans.  This is at best foolish and at worst dangerous to suggest.  

Animal Rights Activists Protest 4-H Auction

Activists Protest Animal Auction

4H Club says it's not animal cruelty, it's farming

By SUSAN RIVERA
Updated 9:00 AM CDT, Tue, Aug 3, 2010

Protesters targeted an animal auction at the Lake County fair this weekend.

Several protestors showed up to this at the Wagner Farm in Glenview during a pig auction to draw attention to what they say is animal cruelty, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Since it was established in 2002 the 4H Clovers club – which on its Website boasts membership of “57 children from the ages of 8 to 18" – has generated some controversy. In part because the livestock sold are raised on Glenview Park District Land. But also because most animals sold at the auction are headed to the slaughterhouse.

One of the animals on the auction block was a pig named Buddy raised in part by 11-year-old Mata Stilp and her brother Hans, reported the Chicago Tribune.     Read More


Animal rights activists have been targeting 4-H more as of late. Any type of program that teaches young people about the how’s and why’s of raising livestock is certainly a threat to their misinformation campaign. Supporting programs like 4-H is more important than ever before. For many children, 4-H is their only exposure to agriculture. Taking advantage of these teaching opportunities is something we have to continue doing.

Animal Research Benefits CF Sufferers

Pigs Yield Clues to Cystic Fibrosis-Related Lung Disease
Infection appears to precede inflammation, researchers find

WEDNESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they have answered a long-standing question regarding lung disease caused by cystic fibrosis: Which comes first, infection or inflammation?

"Using our model, we are beginning to answer that question, and it looks like infection does precede inflammation," study author Dr. David Stoltz, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, said in a news release from the school. "The importance of that finding is that it could dictate what types of therapy we might use. Knowing that infection is first suggests that if we can prevent or fight infection, then that might delay or prevent the lung disease in people with CF."

Most of the deaths and disability in people with CF result from lung disease.

The findings also appear to suggest that lung infections in children with cystic fibrosis should be treated early and aggressively, Stoltz said.

The researchers reached their conclusions by studying pigs with a genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis.

"This is a really great example where the pig serves as a model for what happens in the human, and the pig reacts to this disease in nearly the same way," study co-author Randall Prather, distinguished professor of reproductive biotechnology at the University of Missouri, said in the news release. "In contrast, when you use mice, they don't get the lung disease that is common in patients with cystic fibrosis."

The study was published online April 28 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Link

On a daily basis, we see medical advances from the use of animals in research. The people whose lives have been affected by CF certainly are complaining about the use of pigs in this study. Unfortunately there are elitists in our society that believe the gains in scientific knowledge about this crippling disease weren’t worth using a pig. They don’t place any more value on the life of sick child than they do a pig. Luckily, for all of us, these scientists continue working hard to find a cure.

Katie Couric's Report, Part 2

Pork Industry Strives to Set the Record Straight in Wake of CBS Story
FarmFutures.com
2/11/10

A two-part report aired on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric focused on antimicrobial use in food animal production and it got the attention of the agriculture industry.

Among other things, the report suggests antibiotic use in livestock is leading to more resistance in humans, a trend Dr. Jen Greiner says isn't supported by the science.

"We're just not seeing those trends," Greiner said. "Our producers are working on using antibiotics responsibly on farms each and everyday."

Greiner is Director of Science and Technology for the National Pork Producers Council. She notes Denmark placed a ban on antibiotic growth promoters in the late 1990s, and while CBS called it a great success story, Greiner says that's just not the case.

"When you go to Denmark and talk to producers in that country they will tell you that banning antibiotic growth promoters not only created more pig deaths and caused their pigs to suffer, but also it didn't have a positive public health outcome," Greiner said.

Greiner says that legislation that has been introduced in the House would not only ban antibiotic growth promoters but would also ban antibiotics for preventing disease as well as controlling disease. Meaning producers would only have the ability to treat a clinically sick animal. Greiner says that would be an unmitigated disaster for the industry and ultimately impact consumers.

Read More

In a classic example of one-sided reporting, Katie Couric told her audience last night that there are no reasons good reasons to use antibiotics in livestock. She said the only reason that it was being done in factory farms in this country was to make more money. Increasing the level of sickness and death in our livestock herd doesn’t sound like a great idea to me. All of us are concerned about keeping antibiotics effective, which is why strict usage guidelines are followed. While Couric had the opportunity to tell the whole story of antibiotic use and how that affects livestock health and food safety, she chose not to.

Livestock, Animal Testing May Cure Diabetes

Pig research gives hope for diabetes cure
By Jeff Sturgeon
BLACKSBURG

A Blacksburg medical company says it is a step closer to finding a potential cure for one form of diabetes, tapping pigs as a source of healthy, insulin-oozing cells that might someday be transplanted into ailing humans.

Revivicor Inc. and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh recently reported that by injecting sickened laboratory monkeys with live, pig pancreatic cells, they reversed the monkeys' Type I diabetes.

Tests on diabetic people could begin in two years and, if they are successful, it could usher in one of the first approved human medical treatments derived from living animal cells.

With a global epidemic of diabetes taking shape, medical researchers are looking for answers for people who can't make or effectively use insulin to convert food to energy. Read More

There is a continuous stream of new medical breakthroughs involving the use of livestock. Not only do livestock help feed the world, they are also making it healthier. As much as the anti-animal agriculture people would like you to believe we can manage without using animals, the simple truth is that they make our lives better.

Trial Lawyers Join Forces to Sue Farmers in Indiana

December 26, 2009
Lawyers targeting pig, dairy farms
Attorneys seek justice for neighbors allegedly injured by large operations
By Seth Slabaugh
Muncie Star Press

WINCHESTER, Ind. -- Neighbors who are fed up living next door to factory farms have found three high-powered trial lawyers who vow to make Randolph County "ground zero" in a legal food fight over how Indiana produces pork and milk.

Highly aggressive flies, harmful odors, stacks of dead animals and mismanagement of millions of gallons of manure are among the complaints of neighbors suing pork and dairy producers.
The trial lawyers are bringing multiple lawsuits challenging Indiana's industrial or factory model of producing milk and pork in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) promoted by Gov. Mitch Daniels' agriculture department.

It's a system that produces odors so intense that neighbors are suffering skin irritations, nausea, headaches, breathing difficulties, tightness of the chest, sinus infection, stress, burning eyes, noses and throats and other ailments, the lawsuits allege.

"There is a lot of discontent," said Indianapolis attorney Rich Hailey, a former president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, now known as the American Association for Justice (AAJ). "We anticipate the potential filing of a dozen more cases in a short period of time."

Read More

It’s too bad there won’t be anyone to sue when the grocery store shelves are empty or we become dependent on another country for our food supply. Suing family farmers because of smells that come from the production of food animals will be the first step to that happening. These are the same people that are also pushing to regulate crop farmers from ever having dust blow off their fields. Growing food isn’t an easy job. Getting sued for doing it will only lead to fewer families on the land.

The Benefits of Modern Ag For Pigs

Study shows moving pigs inside has huge benefits
Nov 23, 2009 12:09 PM MST

COLUMBIA, MO(MU release) – A study by University of Missouri Extension swine experts shows that moving pigs indoors has led to improved health for pigs and higher-quality product for consumers.

Since the shift to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), veterinarians have seen a significant decline in parasites, said Beth Young, swine veterinarian with the University of Missouri Commercial Agriculture Program. Young spoke at the 2009 Swine Institute in Columbia, Nov. 10.

The Commercial Agriculture Swine Focus Team looked at changes in the swine industry since 1945.

In the 1940s, 55-70 percent of pigs were infected with lungworms. By the 1970s lungworm outbreaks only affected about 11 percent of farms. "In the past decade, lungworms are rarely seen," Young said.

"Likewise, 78-94 percent of pigs were infected with kidney worms in the 1940s, and now infestations are rarely seen," she said. Read More

It’s more than annoying to hear the anti-agriculture crowd try claiming that modern livestock housing is unhealthy for our animals. Even without these scientific studies, farmers and ranchers can easily see what methods for raising livestock allow them to be more comfortable. But it’s studies like these that we need to combine with our own stories to share with our consumers.

Vandals Kill 3800 Pigs In Iowa

Suspected act of vandalism kills 3,800 Northwest Iowa pigs

By Dolly A. Butz dbutz@siouxcityjournal.com Posted: Monday, November 16, 2009

HULL, Iowa -- A suspected act of vandalism at a hog confinement near Hull that caused the deaths of thousands of pigs last week has puzzled authorities.

"We have no idea why somebody would do something like this," Sioux County Sheriff Dan Altena said Monday.

According to Altena, someone entered the facility, 2739 Highway 75, and intentionally turned off the confinement's airflow and alarm systems sometime during the overnight hours last Thursday, causing 3,800 pigs to suffocate.

"These confinements have an alarm system that if something goes bad with the air handling unit it telephones to a certain location," Altena said. "They shut down both of those."

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, owner Todd Hasche, of rural Rock Rapids, Iowa, called police and reported that all of the feeder pigs at the facility were dead and that someone had tampered with the confinement's airflow system. Read More

It’s almost hard to read this story. Farmers and ranchers put everything they have into taking care of their crops and livestock and then on a whim, some criminal comes along and destroys it all. Hopefully they catch whoever is responsible for this very soon. To go along with this, does anyone think HSUS will come in and offer a reward on this case? If someone intentionally killed a dog or a horse in this manner, they would have already done so. I guess I won’t hold my breath, but it shows the hypocrisy of this group.

Update:
The HSUS did finally come forward with the offer of a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of these criminals. Thanks to my friend Sarah at HSUS for sending me the information. Now if we could only get them to reverse their policy and stated goals of eliminating all animal agriculture and forcing a vegan diet on everyone.

The Pig's Genome Sequence

The impact of pig, cucumber genome sequencing on agriculture, medicine, lunch
USAToday
Nov 3, 2009

Bacon and cucumber sandwiches, anyone?

Scientists this week announced the sequencing of both the pig and cucumber genomes, with possible implications for agriculture – though probably not better lunch foods.

The swine genome was completed by an international team of scientists and funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Pigs are not only popular meat-producers, they’re also remarkably similar to humans at the cellular level, making them prime contenders for the production of both replacement organs for people and the possible production of medicines.

The draft genetic sequence, about 98% of the full one, gives researchers and breeders information to help them enhance immunity, breed more salable pigs and possibly gain insight in to disease that affect not only swine but also humans.

The research, begun in 2006, cost $24.3 million and was shared by American, Asian and European funders. It was done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The pig was a red-haired Duroc. Read More

Genome sequencing will certainly help us in the future to learn more about our food crops and how we can improve them and protect them. Especially in the case of the pig, the potential to save so many lives is very intriguing. Science and technology continues to improve our food and medicine. We need to continue supporting these advances so that maybe one day, our descendants will only read about some of our most common diseases in the history books.

Vegetarian Kept Alive By Pig's Heart Valve

Teen Heart Patient's Shock: 'I'm a Vegetarian Being Kept Alive by a Pig'

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A vegetarian teenager from Scotland, who was suffering from a rare cardiac condition, is now being kept alive by a pig’s heart valve.

Robyn Cairney, 18, of Ruckazie, Glasgow was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and regurgitation after she collapsed at the gym.

Over time, the condition caused her aorta to narrow, which allowed blood to dangerously flow back to her heart. The most common symptom is shortness of breath with exertion, resulting in some patients feeling “out of shape,” according to the American Heart Association.

"It came totally out of the blue,” Cairney told The Sun. “I was at the gym and became unwell during a mile run. I couldn't breathe and wouldn't stop coughing. Then my lips started turning blue and I knew that something was seriously wrong.”

When the aortic valve becomes excessively obstructed or leaky, the valve must be repaired or replaced.

"The doctors told me that I would need to have a valve taken out and replaced by one from a pig,” Cairney said. "It was a bit of a shock being a vegetarian, but I realized it was a life or death choice. Obviously everyone is going to pick life, so now I'm a vegetarian being kept alive by a pig."

Cairney was fitted with the pig's valve during open heart surgery at the Golden Jubilee Hospital near Glasgow.

The pig's valve should last for 20 years. Cairney will then have to undergo surgery to have a mechanical valve fitted.

"I'm just glad I can get on with my life now and am determined to make the most of everything I do,” she added. Link

This very situation has been discussed by many people before. What would a vegan or vegetarian do if their life depended on the death of an animal? I guess the answer has been discovered. This young vegetarian now owes her life to a pig and the farmer that raised it. She can also be thankful the research facilities that worked on this technology weren’t destroyed by militant vegan animal rights activists. As I have stated before, the success of life depends on death. That statement has been proven true again in this situation.

Pig Tissue Healing Human Wounds

Researchers using pig tissue to help heal human wounds
One in 20 people will need some kind of tissue transplant in their lifetime. Some researchers believe pigs may be the key to faster healing from transplants.

Reporter: Maureen McFadden

One in 20 people will need some kind of tissue transplant in their lifetime. Some researchers believe pigs may be the key to faster healing from transplants.

From hernias to plastic surgery, pig tissue is helping humans get back in the game.

"I was having pain even standing for an extended period of time," says hernia patient Chris Nelson.

Chris had a hernia in his groin; the muscle had torn. Instead of using donor tissue, doctors repaired it with material made from the small intestines of pigs.

"It did seem almost weird science or something like that," Chris says.

"Pigs have been a very popular or common animal to use," says Dr. Samer Mattar, bariatric surgeon at Clarian Bariatrics in Indianapolis. "Believe it or not, their genetic makeup is pretty close to humans."

When placed on the torn tissue, the body uses the pig part as a scaffold or guide to remodel and repair itself. Over time, the pig's tissue is replaced by human tissue, providing a permanent repair. Read More

Our ability to utilize livestock as a resource has undoubtedly led to many improvements in the quality of human life. Many things that we use and take for granted every day are a co-product of livestock production. This is another great example of that. Using tissue from pigs to help heal humans may seem like a fairly insignificant breakthrough. However, it’s just one in a long line of uses for pigs in human medicine. Without livestock production we would have hungry people and more sick people. That isn’t the legacy we want to leave for our future generations.

Vilsack Urges Media To Get It Right

Vilsack admonishes media for misrepresenting flu virus
Sep 11, 2009 9:32 AM, By Dale Miller, Editor, National Hog Farmer

"I want folks who are in the business of conveying information to understand that behind that message there is a family sitting at a breakfast table wondering how in the hell they are going to pay the bills, when they continually have to sell pork for less than what it costs to produce as they continue to get hammered for something that they had absolutely nothing to do with."

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held a press conference Sept. 10 with the intended purpose of explaining the USDA’s preparedness to handle the potential onset H1N1 influenza this fall.

As the 30-minute media briefing drew on, the secretary’s exasperation with the general media’s persistent misrepresentation of the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus as “swine flu” became apparent.

“As you know, since last spring and the onset of the H1N1 outbreak in humans, USDA has consistently asked those in the media who convey information to consumers and to citizens to be careful about what they call this virus. We would ask, respectfully, that the media give serious consideration to transitioning from what they have been doing — which is to call this (virus) the swine flu, incorrectly, to considering using H1N1 as the appropriate name for this virus.”

“It is not swine flu,” he admonished. “It’s just not correct to call it that. It‘s a novel virus and the most appropriate and correct way to refer to it is 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus This may seem difficult or silly to some people — but it’s not if you’re out there trying to make a living and taking care of your family.” Read More

Since many in the media seem to be more concerned about causing a panic among the public, it should be no surprise that they have been reluctant to use the correct name of the virus. It should be more important to them to be accurate with their information, but sadly it isn’t and it is affecting America’s family hog farmers. Getting the media to change the name they use has been a big job but many gains have been made and it’s been due to the efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers. The work isn’t done however, so remind people, whenever you get the chance, to use the accurate name of H1N1 virus.