Can Animal Organ Transplants Bring Hope to Waiting Patients?

Recently, there has been a buzz around the case of a monkey that survived for over two years after receiving a pig kidney transplant, thanks to the application of gene editing technology. This research result is gaining attention as an alternative solution to the shortage of organ donors.

 

Based on these results, the researchers emphasize that once xenotransplantation technology becomes mainstream, it could serve as an alternative to address the shortage of organ donors.

 

In a joint study conducted by eGenesis, a U.S. life sciences bioventure company, and Harvard Medical School, it was announced that after genetically modifying pig kidneys using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and transplanting them into monkeys, there was a case where the monkey survived for 758 days. This sets a record for the longest survival period in cross-species organ transplantation experiments.

 

In the United States, as of 2021, there were over 410,000 organ transplants, with over 100,000 people registered on the waiting list. Amidst this, the tragic reality is that while 17 people wait for transplants every day, some lose their lives.

 

Currently, the number of organ transplant candidates is increasing, while the number of organ donors remains critically low. As a result, research on xenotransplantation (cross-species transplantation) has continued. However, there have been challenges, such as the potential for viruses from pigs to cause adverse effects in humans. Additionally, even if the transplant is successful, there was an issue of having to take immunosuppressive drugs for life.

 

In response, the researchers conducted genetic editing on pig kidneys of a size similar to that of humans and transplanted them. This minimized rejection reactions after transplantation and eliminated viruses that could infect humans. Furthermore, seven human genes were added to give them human-like traits.

 

They transplanted genetically corrected pig kidneys into 21 cynomolgus monkeys and administered immunosuppressive drugs to minimize rejection reactions. As a result, out of the 15 monkeys, 9 survived for over 50 days, 5 lived for over a year, and 1 survived for over two years (758 days). The average survival period was confirmed to be 176 days. The transplanted kidneys functioned similarly to the original kidneys. In contrast, seven monkeys that received pig kidneys without added human genes only survived for an average of 24 days.

 

Based on these results, the researchers emphasize that once xenotransplantation technology becomes mainstream, it could serve as an alternative to address the shortage of organ donors.

 

However, Professor Doris Taylor at KCL evaluated this study as a "groundbreaking achievement," while also mentioning that "much effort is still needed before clinical trials."

 

To date, only two people have received pig heart transplants. Among them, David Bennett, who received a pig heart last year, passed away after two months due to complications related to pig viruses. Lawrence Poshett, on the other hand, is in recovery after receiving a pig heart transplant in September.