Creating donor-derived hearts in special pig models for patients with end-stage heart disease
Official title: Mechanisms that govern interspecies chimeric hearts
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11551490 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing a new way to grow hearts for transplant by using genetically modified pig embryos to host donor human cells, potentially creating a ready source of organs for patients who can’t get a transplant.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | August 6, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $769,846 |
| NIH project number | 1R56AI202729-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11551490 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with end-stage heart disease who are not eligible for traditional donor hearts and may benefit from alternative organ sources.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals or patients with conditions unrelated to heart disease are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create pig embryos engineered to lack certain heart-developing signals so that healthy human donor cells can populate and form a donor-derived heart. The team has prior experience showing pig-to-pig and human cell engraftment in related organs, and now plans to refine methods to improve chimeric heart formation. The study will use gene editing and stem cell technologies in pigs to explore how to enable human cells to develop into a functional heart within a pig embryo, without immunosuppression. If successful, this line of research could move closer to providing transplantable hearts for patients who are not eligible for conventional donation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a new source of transplantable hearts for patients with end-stage heart disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work showed proof-of-concept for interspecies chimerism and organ engineering, but this specific approach to heart generation is still in early stages.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Garry, Mary G — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Garry, Mary G
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.