A surgeon successfully attached a kidney taken from a genetically modified animal to a patient for the first time. This is a significant scientific breakthrough that could lead to new ways to donate organs to people who are sick.
Scientists obtained the kidney from a pig that was genetically engineered to not produce alpha-gal sugar. This sugar is what the immune system attacks and causes the body's rejection. The NYU surgeons attached the organ to a brain-dead patient who was on a ventilator. The organ was attached outside her body to the blood vessels on her leg and monitored for 54 hours.
The kidney was accepted by the recipient's body, although it didn't reject it immediately. Robert Montgomery, the NYU Langone Transplant Institute director, stated that there was no incompatibility between pig kidneys and human kidneys. According to The New York Times, The kidney was not rejected immediately.
Many questions remain, including whether the organ will last for a long time in the body. Although the kidney was functional for the time it had been attached, organ rejection can occur over many years. This can even happen if the donor is a perfect match. The details of the procedure were not published in a medical journal.
Experts are also looking at the ethical implications of this type animal-to-human procedure. Karen Maschke is a researcher at the Hastings Center and has been awarded a grant to help develop ethical and policy recommendations for these transplants.
The procedure was still an important step in the development of animal-to-human transplants. This is called xenotransplantation. Although animal heart valves have been used in human procedures since decades, they can be chemically treated to kill live cells and prevent rejections. Organs made from living tissue are more complex. The advocates of these efforts see a steady supply from animals of organs that could be used to help thousands of people who are waiting for transplants. They could provide a lifeline to the hundreds of thousands of dialysis patients with kidney disease.
Revivicor produced the kidneys used in this procedure. In December 2020, the FDA approved genetically modified pigs for therapeutic purposes and human consumption. Some people may be allergic to the alpha-gal sugar. However, these pigs could be safe to eat. Before any medical products, such as organs, can be used in medicine, the FDA will still have to review them. In April, the company stated that it expected to start clinical trials with its organs from animals for transplants within the next one or two years.
