This new research leaves me pretty frightened.

I’ve told you before that when the Sfardi rabbi ruled that we Jewish folks were finally allowed to donate organs at death, I was at the DMV the very next morning to sign up.  Because I believe in the practice- but it had been counter to the Jewish Code of Law (as codified in volumes called the Shulchan Aruch, the Set Table) forever.

We know that when the brain is deprived of oxygen, the cascade of failure becomes self-fulfilling.  With the end result of irreversible brain death.

And, then, when I found out that many hospitals were not using the only definition of death that passed the test of time- a brain scan indicating you are, indeed, dead- I rescinded my designation as an organ donor on my driver’s license.

I also told you that I still plan to donate my organs.  When my children (who have the medical power of attorney for me when I can’t make my own decisions) have been satisfied that I am clinically dead- they will authorize the organ donation.  Not at the discretion of some social worker or clinician who will simply rely on the cessation of a heartbeat.

So, what’s the new research?

16 researchers from Yale.  (Drs.  Z. Vrselia, S.G. Daniele, J. SIlbereis, F. Talpo, A.M.M. Sousa, B.S. Tanaka, M. Skarica, M. Pletikos, N. Kaur, Z.W. Zhuang, Z. Liu, R. Alkawadria, A.J. Sinusa, S.R. Lathan, S.G. Waxman, and N. Sestan are listed as the authors of the paper in Nature, Restoration of brain circulation and cellular functions hours post-mortem.)   These folks were able to restore cellular function in pig brains- despite the fact that the animals had been decapitated four hours earlier at a slaughterhouse.  Oh, and the blood had been drained from the organs.   (We should also recall that pig brains are similar to human brains- much more so than rats or mice, which are normally the animal models chosen for neurological research.)

While this was research performed at Yale, the researchers relied on an oxygen carrying solution that mimics the functionality of blood (and is used to maintain organs for transplant) manufactured by HbO2 Therapeutics, LLC.  (HbO2 has the right of first refusal to commercialize the technology reported in this Nature paper.)

Admittedly, the ‘therapy’ took some 6 hours, involving the infusion of a bunch of chemicals that terminated cellular degeneration, as well as restored cellular and metabolic activity.  The cells were found to have resumed their normal shape (which changes upon death).

[Please note- the cocktail used included a chemical that disallowed some critical brain activity (called synaptic-activity blockers)- specifically the ability of the brain to be ‘aware’.]

And, these Yale Medical School researchers found the brains began consuming both oxygen and glucose- in other words, they were alive.  Some of the neurons actually transmitted nerve signals and responded to external electrical stimulation.

(Despite these facts, the researchers considered the brains to be dead.  After all, they found no signs of consciousness.  Hmm.  I’m curious- how does a pig manifest consciousness?  I guess they meant they found no brain-wide activity- which the researchers also admit they inhibited with their cocktail concoction.)

Interestingly, their system, which they call the BrainEx platform, afforded the ability to test a drug that could increase blood flow to the brain.  And, the decapitated brains responded normally to that drug.   It also means we might be able to use this model to discern what interventions may work to counteract the affects of a stroke.

So, it’s not just to create zombies.

 

 

By the way, today is the 136 anniversary of the birth of Dr. Georgios Papanikolauo.  “Who”, you ask?  He’s the guy who invented (developed) the routine cancer test that women take- the “Pap” smear.  Bet you never knew why it was called the Pap test.  Now, you do!