March is National Kidney Month, and surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital, known as Mass General, have transplanted a kidney from a genetically engineered pig into a 62-year-old man. The new kidney began producing urine shortly after the surgery last week, and the patient’s condition has improved significantly. Doctors expect the patient to be discharged soon.
The recipient of the xenotransplant is an African American man, and this milestone transplant may harbor special significance for African Americans who suffer higher rates of end-stage kidney disease than the general population. I touched upon this issue in previous post: Minority Organ and Tissue Transplant Education Program
A new source of kidneys “could solve an intractable problem in the field — the inadequate access of minority patients to kidney transplants,” said Dr. Winfred Williams, associate chief of the nephrology division at Mass General and the patient’s primary kidney doctor.
The kidney came from a pig engineered by the biotech company eGenesis, which edited genes to enhance human compatibility. eGenesis hopes to end the organ shortage through their novel approach to xenotransplantation. Their mission statement: “eGenesis is a biotechnology company committed to using its multiplex gene editing and genome engineering platform to transform solid organ and therapeutic cell transplantation for the treatment of serious diseases.” eGenesis website link
Surgeons at the University of Maryland have twice transplanted hearts from genetically modified pigs into patients with end-stage heart failure. I covered these efforts at xenotransplantation here: Xenotransplantation – the Future of Transplant?
And here: Pig-to-Human Heart Transplant Update
Newly developed drugs to suppress the immune system and prevent rejection of the organ were also utilized in this experimental transplant, hopefully paving the way for a new generation of drugs for all transplant recipients.
This is truly a brave new world of organ transplants that might lessen the wait times for those waiting for a life-saving transplant. In the meantime, you can help save lives by registering to be an organ donor at this link: Sign Up To Be An Organ Donor
Dawn Levitt, Author 