CNN
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The pig kidney functioned normally in the human body for about two months, making it the longest recorded case of this type of xenotransplantation.
In July, researchers at New York University Langone Health transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into the body of a 58-year-old man named Maurice Miller (also known as Mo), who was suffering from a brain tumor and was on the verge of brain death. The organs were harvested on a prearranged Wednesday after 61 days of research.
Researchers will now analyze the results of this preclinical human study to assess the body’s response to the procedure and help prepare for clinical trials in live humans.
For example, tissue taken during the study showed “new cellular changes” that required additional immunosuppressive drugs to reverse mild rejection, NYU Langone Health shared in a news release. . But overall, the kidneys were found to be functioning “optimally.”
“Through our careful observation and analysis over the past two months, we have learned a great deal, and there is great reason to be hopeful about the future,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery, Director and Chief of Surgery, NYU Langone Transplant Institute. Told. , who led the research.
“None of this would have been possible without the incredible support we received from the families of our deceased recipients. Thanks to them, we are making significant progress on xenotransplantation as a hopeful solution to the national organ shortage.” It gave me some insight.”
In August, another research team published a peer-reviewed study on new advances in transplanting pig kidneys into humans.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Hersink School of Medicine have discovered that transplanted kidneys not only produce urine; According to one paper, they provided “life-sustaining kidney function” by filtering out waste products. research letter Published in the medical journal “JAMA Surgery”.
In what is considered a preclinical study in humans, both research teams used kidneys from genetically modified pigs transplanted into recipients who had experienced brain death. A team at New York University Langone used just one genetic modification to “knock out” the alpha-gal biomolecule. This was found to cause rapid rejection of pig organs by humans. Pig thymus glands were also transplanted to protect the kidneys from attack by the human immune system.
Researchers say further research is needed, including studies in live human recipients, to establish whether pig kidney transplants can be a bridge or final treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease, but progress is being made. He said he is looking forward to seeing it.
“We now have important evidence about how pig kidneys function in the human environment,” Dr. Adam Griesemer, surgeon general of the New York University Langone Pediatric Liver Transplant Program and Living Donor Transplant Program, said at a press conference last month. It is happening,” he said.
“Over the past 20 years, we have gained a lot of information about how pig kidneys substitute for functions in primates. But the key question is, “Does that data work well for human recipients? Is it accurately translated into ?” – It was unknown. And for the first time, we can provide that information. So we hope that this will give the FDA some assurance about safety as we begin Phase 1 clinical trials. ”
The majority of people waiting for an organ transplant need a kidney. Approximately 89,000 people are on the waiting list. According to the data From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Organ Procurement and Transplant Network.