Pigs are nature’s bottom dog. Thanks to their fondness for mud and tendency to eat nearly anything, the otherwise intelligent animal often gets a bad reputation. But while the common layperson may snub their nose at the idea of even touching a pig, scientists are looking to make use of their organs in human transplant surgeries. According to a recent study, researchers may be closer than ever to making this a reality. Many are unaware of just how biologically similar humans and pigs are. For this reason, pigs are often used for everything from practicing surgery to developing the best way to find cadavers. According to a recent study presented on last week at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., our relationship with pigs may soon be getting a lot more personal. Although pigs and humans have many biological similarities, doctors must address certain obstacles before they can even think about using them for organs transplants. The first and arguably most important of these obstacles involves the possible transfer of pig viruses to humans. However, this week, a team of researchers led by Dr. George Church, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, announced their success in deactivating 62 of these viruses in pig embryos. The feat was accomplished using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology, and has eliminated the fear that these viruses could cause disease in human transplant recipients, Nature reported.…