Australian Science Illustrated – Issue 51 2017

Biologists Juan Carlos Belmonte and Jun Wu

headed the ground-breaking experiment.

4

The embryo is
implanted into the
womb of an ordinary
pig, which functions as a
surrogate mother.

5

As the embryo develops, it produces

neurotransmitters, which activate the

heart genes in the patient's stem cells.

As the pig's cells lack an important heart gene,

only the patient's cells can form the heart.

6

Once the pig is fully

developed, the

heart can be inserted

into the patient without her

immune system rejecting it.

1.a The Cas9 enzyme a pig cell. The enzyme is linked with is introduced into

a RNA molecule, which is able to find the

heart gene in the cell nucleus.

1.b Once the RNA molecule has found the gene, it connects with the DNA strand, enabling Cas9

to cut through the gene, so it no longer works.

STEM CELLS FORM HEART.

CAS9

ENZYME CAS9 CUTS THROUGH GENE.

THE PIG'S HEART GENE

HUMAN HEART

GENE EDITING TOOL CUTS THROUGH HEART GENE

Guide RNA is designed to find

and connect with the heart gene.

SALK INSTITUTE/CELL PRESS

CLAUS LUNAU