New York University Langone Health surgeons announce the second successful transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a human recipient. Success, three months after the first of its kind, could pave the way for the use of non-human organs in patients requiring life-saving transplants.
It’s worth mentioning at this point: Both operations completed to date were experimental and involved humans not expected to live with pig kidneys. The first was transplanted into a brain-dead woman, whose family had allowed doctors to perform the surgery, shortly before life support was turned off. Now, the same team of surgeons has repeated the success on a recently deceased person who was on a ventilator.
Animal-to-human transplants, known as xenotransplantation, are seen by scientists as a potential solution to the current shortage of donor organs. Unfortunately, many people die while waiting for a transplant because there are not enough organs available, but the possibility of using organs obtained from farm animals instead of waiting for a human donor to be ready can save countless lives.
However, the biggest challenge here lies in the fact that our immune systems are ready to recognize foreign substances. This is why our body naturally rejects organs of other species. For example, most mammals other than humans produce a sugar called alpha-gal, and entry of this molecule into our bodies triggers an antibody response designed to destroy invading material.
To prevent this from happening, surgeons used pig kidneys that were genetically modified to lack the gene responsible for alpha-gal production, so they could ensure that this immune response would not occur. In their most recent experiment, the altered kidney was connected to blood vessels in the recipient’s upper leg and kept outside of the abdomen for a 54-hour period for study and observation.
The surgeons reported that, as in their first attempt, the organ was not rejected by the recipient, but also worked well. Waste products such as creatinine were filtered through the kidney at an appropriate rate, while urine production matched that of a normal human kidney.
Chief surgeon Dr. Commenting on this incredible achievement, Robert Montgomery said: “We were able to replicate the results of the first transformative procedure to demonstrate the continued promise that these genetically modified organs can become a renewable source of organs for many people worldwide who are waiting for a life-saving gift.” There is still more to be done before we start doing experiments, but our preliminary findings give us hope.”
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