After having operated on the kidney of a genetically modified pig on a brain-dead human for a record period of two months, the American scientific team that performed the transplant announced Thursday that, as planned, it had ended the experiment.
“We have learned a lot over the past two months through detailed observations and analysis, and we have good reason to be optimistic about the future,” Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the Transplant Institute at the Langone Transplant Center, said in a statement. New York University. New York Hospital, where the procedure was performed.
Successful transplant last July
These animal-to-human organ transplants, called xenografts, could offer a solution to the chronic shortage of kidney donations. More than 100,000 Americans are currently on the waiting list for an organ transplant, including nearly 88,000 waiting for a kidney.
On July 14, a pig kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead man who had donated his body to science. The pig had been genetically modified so that the human body would not immediately reject the organ.
Although after a month no signs of rejection had been observed, scientists indicated on Thursday that a mild rejection process had subsequently been observed, which required intensification of immunosuppressive treatments.
Previous successful trials, but shorter
More results will be released in the coming months, according to the NYU Langone statement.
This team has performed several xenografts in recent years, including the world’s first from a pig kidney transplant to a human, in September 2021. But all of their tests so far have been fairly brief. The experiment carried out this summer lasted 61 days in total, a record.
“To create an unlimited supply of organs, we must learn to manage organ transplants from pigs to humans,” Dr. Robert Montgomery reiterated Thursday. “Testing them in deceased patients allows us to optimize the immunosuppressive regimen and the choice of genetic modifications to make future trials safer.”
Other trials involving deceased people are planned.
Source: BFM TV
