Surgeons in the United States have announced success in genetically modified pig kidney transplantation to brain-dead patients, finding that the pig kidney can function normally for more than one month. This experiment is still under development before pig kidney transplantation to humans can be practically performed.
“Assoc. Prof. Dr. Natthapon Apornsujaritkul, Transplant Surgeon” spoke about the organ shortage problem, especially kidneys, which greatly affects the treatment of chronic kidney failure patients. Only relatives or blood-related individuals can donate, or patients must wait in line for donors who are brain-dead, and tissue compatibility must be found for kidney transplantation. The experiment of pig kidney transplantation to humans is therefore a hope to help increase the availability of organs for treatment.
Is there any pig-to-human kidney transplantation trial in Thailand?
In 2022, the United States conducted genetic modification experiments on pigs and transplanted genetically modified pig kidneys into humans for the first time in the world. The recipient was diagnosed as brain-dead. The experiment lasted about 72 hours, during which the pig kidney was found to function and produce urine.
Subsequently, besides kidneys, pig heart transplantation was also performed on a real heart disease patient who required a heart transplant. This patient was not brain-dead. The patient survived for up to 2 months with the pig heart functioning normally, but died from a viral infection.
However, pig-to-human organ transplantation still requires further development to increase survival chances and extend the lives of patients with chronic kidney failure. The difficulty lies in pig-to-human kidney transplantation and body compatibility.
According to the latest information, genetically modified pigs can provide kidneys with tissue compatibility to humans. The technology for pig-to-human kidney transplantation is likely to be completed in the near future, but genetic modification in pigs still needs to be developed to reduce viral infections from pigs to humans or viruses affecting post-transplant infections.
Benefits of using pig kidneys
- A major problem in kidney transplantation is the shortage of organs. Pig kidneys will be very beneficial if the experiments succeed because they will provide enough organs to treat end-stage chronic kidney failure patients.
- Genetically modified pig kidneys have advantages such as rapid growth and short genetic modification time, allowing pig kidneys to be transplanted into humans to help solve the organ shortage problem in the future.
Will pig-to-human kidney transplantation increase in the future?
Currently, it is still in the experimental stage. Abroad, pig-to-human kidney transplantation trials are increasing, with efforts to eliminate drawbacks or errors and develop pig-to-human kidney transplantation to be practically usable. It is believed that within 5 years, innovations that can be practically applied will increase.
