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There is a shortage of kidneys for organ transplants - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 9 - 2022 - Paper 1
Question 9
There is a shortage of kidneys for organ transplants. Scientists are investigating how to grow kidneys using genetically modified pig embryos. Figure 8 shows this ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:There is a shortage of kidneys for organ transplants - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 9 - 2022 - Paper 1
Step 1
State why the embryo of the pig must be engineered so it does not grow pig kidneys.
Answer
The pig embryo must be engineered to prevent it from growing pig kidneys so that it can develop human kidneys instead. This is essential to ensure compatibility with human recipients, as pig kidneys would be rejected by the human immune system.
Step 2
Explain why human stem cells are used for this process.
Answer
Human stem cells are used because they are unspecialized and can differentiate into any type of cell, including kidney cells. This ability allows them to form the required tissue without the risk of rejection when transplanted into a human.