A groundbreaking experiment involving a pig kidney has come to an end after two months. Surgeons at NYU Langone Health successfully tested the genetically modified organ in a brain-dead patient before removing it. The team plans to share its findings with the FDA in the hopes of testing pig kidneys in living patients in the future.
“It’s a combination of excitement and relief. Two months is a lot to have a pig kidney in this good a condition. That gives you a lot of confidence” for next attempts. – Dr. Robert Montgomery
Also see: US man who got first pig heart transplant has died
With over 100,000 people on the national organ waiting list, there is an urgent need to find alternatives. In the past, xenotransplantation attempts failed due to immediate immune attacks on foreign animal tissue. However, by genetically modifying pigs to make their organs more humanlike, scientists hope to overcome these challenges.
Last year, University of Maryland surgeons attempted a pig heart transplant, but it only lasted for two months. The FDA has also raised questions about how pig organs perform compared to human ones.
To answer these questions, the team kept the brain-dead patient on a ventilator for two months to observe how the pig kidney functioned. The experiment yielded valuable insights, including how the organ reacted to standard immune-suppressing medicines and medications.
Also see: One couple gives another couple life-saving gifts: Their kidneys
While the experiment shows promise, further research is needed to ensure the organs function effectively in living patients. Nevertheless, the team believes that xenotransplantation could potentially save many lives by providing a second chance at life for those in need of organ transplants.
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