The first pig transplant lasts for 10 days
Detecting Pathogens in a Disease-Induced Pig for Organ Transplants in Clinically Dead People and in Terminally Ill Patients
The pig had been bred by the company in China for the miniature pig. It contained six genetic modifications, says Wang. Three genes that were not found on the surface of pig cells were turned on, and three genes for humans were added to prevent the pig organ from being rejected.
Luhan Yang, chief executive of Qihan Biotech in Hangzhou, China, which is developing gene-edited pigs as a source for organs, says she expects more xenotransplants in clinically dead people or — for compassionate reasons — in terminally ill people in the United States, China and Europe in the coming years.
Dou says the pig was bred in a specialized pathogen-free facility and tested negative for about a dozen pathogens, including Streptococcus suis, the type-2 strain of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and porcine cytomegalovirus. He has seen no signs of organ rejection or bile production so far. “This is encouraging,” says Cooper.
The researchers take daily blood samples and will assess immune response and infections in detail. We are having a Pathologist evaluate if there is acute rejection.
A Transplantation of a Dead Person to a Donor Pig Orphan or a Brain-Chidney Donor: Application to Slayman
The surgery was approved by the recipient’s family, according to Wang. “It has been strictly carried out according to relevant national and international regulations.”
After performing the procedure on one dead person, the researchers plan to perform another procedure on another person later this year.
Mohiuddin points out that although clinically dead people are a useful model for assessing the viability of xenotransplantation in living people, that usefulness is limited, because once a person’s brain ceases activity, they undergo hormonal changes. And it isn’t yet clear how long someone with no cognitive function can be maintained on a ventilator and with a donated pig organ, he says. The longest documented case was two months, which involved a pig-kidney transplant.
Yang says she hopes the team will publish detailed insights about the transplantation in peer-reviewed publications, to help determine which approach is more feasible.
Slayman had a transplant after being on dialysis for seven years. But his transplanted kidney showed signs of failure after about five years, forcing Slayman to resume dialysis last May. He’s since been suffering serious complications.
Slayman said that it was a way for him to help others who are in need of a transplant.
The transplant presents a chance to solve one of the thorniest problems in our field, which is the lack of equal access for ethnic minorities to transplant due to the extreme donor shortage and other system-based barriers.
eGenesis: Genetically modified pigs for transplantation research at a bioethicist’s farm in Syracuse, New York
Several biotech companies are racing to develop a supply of cloned pigs whose DNA has been genetically modified so they won’t be rejected by the human body, spread pig viruses to people or cause other complications. NPR recently got exclusive access to a research farm breeding these animals for a company in this competition, Revivicor Inc. of Blacksburg, Va.
“We are very grateful for the bravery of the patient and for the advancement of transplantation science,” stated Mike Curtis, Chief Executive Officer for eGenesis. This demonstrates the potential of genome engineering to change the live of millions of patients.
The field is stirring excitement about harnessing cloning and gene-editing technologies to solve the persistent shortage of organs for human transplantation. Over ten thousand people are waiting for an organ. About 17 die every day because they can’t get one.
There are several concerns about the research. There is a fear that animal flu could be spread to humans. Another is about slaughtering thousands of animals every year to harvest their organs. Some also question testing these organs on gravely ill patients.
“I think we need to be very, very careful,” L. Syd M. Johnson, a bioethicist at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., told NPR. I have a lot of doubts about the therapy.
