Skip to content
📢We are still a growing community and would love some help. Want to contribute? Join us by mailing an e-mail of interest to "r6394175@gmail.com"
Start helping our community →
← Theoretical 1

Q11 — Heart Decellularization — Fish vs. Rat Cannulation

Theoretical 1 Real exam question — full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Human Circulatory System Recombinant DNA & Biotechnology Techniques

Decellularization is the process of isolating the extracellular matrix of a tissue from its inhabiting cells. Decellularization of organs is an important prerequisite for future transplantation of animal organs re-cellularized with the patient’s own cells. Heart decellularization can be performed by cannulating the coronary sinus (the venous sinus collecting blood from the heart) and perfusing it with a decellularization solution (a detergent that destroys cell membranes).

Figure 1. Cannulation process of fish (A) and rat (B) hearts, before and after decellularization. Figure 1. Cannulation process of fish (A) and rat (B) hearts — appearance right after cannulation and upon completion of decellularization.

Using the information and images, determine whether the following statements are true or false:

A. The differences in cannulation are due to different numbers of heart chambers between the two species.
B. In mammals, entrances to major coronary vessels are found right behind the cusps of the aortic valve.
C. Cannulation of fish heart for efficient decellularization can be accomplished by inserting perfusion cannula into bulbus arteriosus (cardiac outflow tract).
D. The soap solution has ability to destabilize the cell membrane and have the same properties like decellularization reagent.
← Previous: Q10 Next: Q12 →

Question reproduced from IBO 2022, Theoretical Paper 1, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF · Community solutions (unofficial)