Surgeons from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has genetically modified a pig to implant kidneys into human transplant patients. The New York Times reports that the doctors have transplanted kidneys from a genetically altered pig into the abdomen of a brain-dead man, proving that the technology works and paving the way for human trials with live patients in the years to come.
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Within 23 minutes of the pig kidneys being transplanted to the man’s body it started producing urine and continued to do so successfully for three days. The patent’s original kidneys were completely removed and his body showed no signs of rejecting the pig kidneys once transplanted. This is where the genetic modification comes in – it changes the immune response triggered by the patient’s system that would usually reject foreign bodies. This experiment follows on from a recent procedure where a similarly genetically modified pig’s heart was also transplanted into a human body without being rejected.
The UAB surgeons performed the procedure with consent from the family of the recipient, James Parsons, who wanted to be an organ donor. They’re now naming this type of study after him. While the recipient was brain dead in this case, it’s a big step toward a clinical trial involving live patients that they’re hoping would start later this year. Dr. Jayme Locke, the team’s lead surgeon, said this wasn’t a one-off experiment, and that the hope is to “advance the field to help… patients.”
This is a significant step in being able to help the vast numbers of people in need of transplants but that ultimately don’t qualify or succumb to their illnesses before an organ becomes available. Based on data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, there are currently 90,272 people on the waiting list for kidney transplant in the US. In addition, around 3,000 new patients are added to the waiting list for the organ each month.
