# Derivation of chimera competent pig embryonic stem cells under a novel condition

> **NIH NIH R21** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $163,416

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Derivation of stable and chimera competent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from several rodent species has
revolutionized modern medicine. Germline transmission of genetically modified ESCs has become a power
technology for modeling human diseases in live rodents. In addition, transplantation of rodent ESC-derived cells,
tissues and organs provides a testbed for repairing or replacing damaged tissues and organs in the human body,
a holy grail for regenerative medicine. However, there are considerable differences between rodents and humans
in terms of body size, lifespan and physiology, which limit the degree to which insights derived from the rodent
models can be applied to humans. Large animal models often have an enhanced ability to predict clinical efficacy
relative to rodents. Despite numerous attempts, however, bona fide ESC analogous to those described for
rodents are still not available in any large animal species. Recently we developed a new method that enabled,
for the first time, the derivation of stable and chimera competent ESCs from a large domesticated mammal, the
horse. The objective of this proposal is to apply the newly developed method for the derivation of stable
and chimera competent ESCs from one of the most popular large animal models in biomedical research,
the pig. Chimera competent pig ESCs will not only facilitate the production of transgenic pig models of human
diseases but also provide an unprecedented opportunity to test the efficacy and safety of blastocyst
complementation in a large animal model for in vivo generation of tissues and organs for transplantation, a
necessary step prior to human applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956515
- **Project number:** 1R21OD028763-01
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jun Wu
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $163,416
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956515

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956515, Derivation of chimera competent pig embryonic stem cells under a novel condition (1R21OD028763-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956515. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*