Historically, the term “pig” has been employed as an unkind epithet for humans, but now, pigs themselves might just become lifesavers. A groundbreaking achievement has emerged from the realm of surgical science in the US, as surgeons successfully implanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain-dead patient, and astonishingly, the organ remained functional for a groundbreaking duration of 32 days, as reported on Wednesday (August 16).
This scientific leap holds immense promise in addressing the pressing issue of organ shortages for transplantation. The pioneering experiment is part of an expanding frontier of research focused on advancing xenotransplantation, involving the transplantation of organs between different species. The procedure was tested on bodies donated for scientific purposes.
In the United States alone, the waitlist for organs exceeds 103,000 individuals, with a staggering 88,000 of them requiring kidneys, as highlighted by AFP. Robert Montgomery, the director of the New York University Langone Transplant Institute, expressed the significance of the feat, stating, “We have a genetically edited pig kidney surviving for over a month in a human.” Montgomery suggested that this achievement paves the way for initiating preliminary studies in living humans.
The procedure involved a genetically modified pig kidney transplant, with a significant departure from previous attempts that employed organs featuring up to 10 genetic modifications. In this case, a single modification was made in a gene linked to “hyperacute rejection,” a swift immune response when an animal organ is connected to a human circulatory system.
Specifically, the New York University (NYU) Langone team targeted the gene responsible for alpha-gal, a molecule susceptible to human antibodies. By disabling this gene, they managed to prevent immediate organ rejection by the recipient’s body. To further ensure compatibility, the pig’s thymus gland, which plays a role in immune education, was embedded in the kidney’s outer layer. This innovative technique taught the host’s immune system to recognize the pig’s cells as part of its own, forestalling delayed rejection.
In this remarkable procedure, both of the patient’s native kidneys were removed, making way for the transplantation of a single pig kidney. The transplanted kidney promptly commenced urine production. Follow-up observations indicated optimal levels of waste product creatinine and the absence of rejection, reaffirming the potential of this novel approach. The success of this venture bolsters the prospects of long-term, effective organ transplantation, igniting optimism within the medical community.