Page 4 - Alpha Gal News Today

Live Music @ Tie & Timber Beer Co.: Alpha Gal and Lovesick Nick

Live Music @ Tie & Timber Beer Co.: Alpha Gal and Lovesick Nick

When a 56-year-old farm worker from just outside Kansas City in Missouri, US, began noticing a rash on his waist and arms within hours of chowing down on a hamburger seven years ago, he wasnt sure what to make of it.

With over a hundred thousand people waiting for an organ transplant in the US alone, scientists are racing to find options besides human donors. Now for the first time, a pig kidney has been successfully transplanted into a person.

Some people are suddenly having an allergic reaction after eating steak, even though they were not previously allergic to meat. But thanks to some scientific detective work, the source was found.

Tim Macpherson Theres a new, genetically modified pig in town, with uses for medical products and devices. The genetic change eliminates a sugar called alpha-gal, which is highly allergenic for a small group. The tick-induced alpha-gal allergy causes a reaction to meat and even medical products from pigs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the second-ever genetically modified subtype of pig for human consumption. But there are no plans to raise this pig for meat or othe...