Monkey with pig kidney transplant lived for 758 days
Scientists have achieved one of the longest survival times in cross-species organ transplantation after a rhesus macaque, which received a genetically modified kidney from a miniature pig, lived for more than 2 years.
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In a joint study conducted by Harvard Medical School and the U.S. biotechnology firm eGenesis, scientists transplanted a genetically modified kidney from Yucatan miniature pigs into 21 rhesus macaques that had their own kidneys removed. Researchers also administered immunosuppressive therapy to the monkeys during the transplant process.
HUMAN GENES ADDED
Scientists, who performed the most extensive gene editing process ever conducted on live pigs, edited a total of 69 genes. They suppressed genes that cause organ rejection with 3 modifications and porcine endogenous retroviruses with 59 modifications, while the final 7 modifications involved adding human genes to keep the transplanted organ healthy.
GENES ARE EDITED
When monkeys were transplanted with kidneys where only the genes causing organ rejection were deactivated, their survival time was 24 days. When 7 human genes were added to the pig kidneys' genetics to weaken clotting, inflammation, and other immune reactions, the monkeys generally survived for up to 176 days.
One monkey that received a kidney with the most extensive gene editing survived for 758 days, or more than 2 years, while 5 others lived for more than 1 year.
According to a statement from eGenesis, the company's president, Dr. Michael Curtis, stated that the research meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) requirement for at least 12 months of survival in animals before starting clinical trials in humans for cross-species organ transplantation.
Researchers noted that the study would provide data to the FDA, which is evaluating the approval of organ transplant trials from other species to humans, while also pointing out the importance of conducting a detailed investigation into the significant differences in the survival times of the monkeys.
The scientific article of the research was published in the journal Nature.
PIG HEART WAS TRANSPLANTED INTO A HUMAN
In the U.S., on January 7, 2022, a heart from a pig that had undergone gene editing to remove a sugar responsible for hyper-acute organ rejection in its cells was transplanted into 57-year-old David Bennett, who could not receive a human heart due to a history of heart attacks and irregular heartbeats.
It was reported that the patient was in good condition 3 days after the first-of-its-kind experimental surgery, but Bennett passed away 2 months later.