Health
Pig kidney transplant recipients successfully receive human donor organs, biotech firm says
Biotechnology company eGenesis reported that two patients who received genetically edited pig organs later underwent human kidney transplants without prohibitive immune barriers.
The short version
- Biotech firm eGenesis announced that two patients who initially received gene-edited pig kidneys have successfully received human donor organs.
- Both patients required the removal of their pig xenografts and spent months on dialysis before suitable human organs became available.
- The outcomes provide early human evidence that temporary pig kidney transplants may serve as a bridge to human organs without triggering antibodies that prevent future transplants.
Key facts
- Biotech company eGenesis announced that two patients who received its genetically engineered pig kidneys later received human donor organs.[STAT]
- In both cases, physicians removed the pig xenografts and the patients returned to dialysis for months prior to receiving their human donor organs.[STAT]
- The successful transplants align with prior non-human primate research suggesting recipients would not produce antibodies that preclude subsequent human organ transplantation.[STAT]
What remains uncertain
- Comprehensive clinical details, including long-term organ function and patient outcomes, were not fully accessible due to truncated reporting.[STAT]