Scientists have successfully transplanted the leg from a brown rat to a white rat, using a technique that tricks the body into accepting foreign tissue as its own.
Inspired by a tactic that cancer cells use to evade the immune system, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, USA, have engineered microparticles which allow rodents to develop a tolerance to transplants for up to 200 days.
The study could pave the way for lifelong immunosuppression in human patients – removing the need for daily doses of drugs.