Cocaine is a hell of a drug. It does some good because it was used in the recent groundbreaking pig-to-human heart transplant.
Doctors hope to see more of the drug being used in transplant hospitals.
Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, the director of the xenotransplantation, talked with Vice News about his unprecedented work on a 57-year-old patient who received a genetically modified pig heart.
The heart was developed by lab company Revivicor and modified so its DNA would be more amenable to a human host. It was then fortified with cocaine by Swedish medical tech company XVIVO before it was sent to the US, the New York Post reported.
Mohiuddin discussed how the drug was used in a mixture of hormones, which included cortisol and adrenaline, to keep the live tissue from spoiling during the long traveling time from overseas to Maryland.
However, the proprietary solution raised concerns among drug enforcement officials in the US because cocaine has never before been used in this type of setting.
“The cocaine name pops out because everybody thinks,’ Oh my God, what is cocaine doing in here?'” Mohiuddin told the outlet.
Medical researchers didn’t have a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind the amphetamine’s use, but Mohiuddin didn’t waste time explaining the “why,” because the cocaine and hormone blend was the best of the alternatives.
“When we were not using this solution, we were getting failures within 48 hours. But when we started using this and infusing the heart with this solution, the heart became well preserved and started beating very well,” he said.
A tedious permit process with the US Drug Enforcement Administration took place. “It’s a bit of a hassle but it’s a routine procedure when importing controlled substances,” Mohiuddin added.
The doctor has encouraged further research on the use of cocaine when it comes to transplantation protocol in the country. “It will be a great advance if this process is approved by the regulatory agencies,” he said.
