Surgeons at New York University (NYU) are making groundbreaking advancements in the field of organ transplantation, particularly in regards to pig-to-human transplants. According to reports, the NYU team has successfully transplanted a genetically engineered pig kidney into a human recipient, and the kidney has been functioning inside the body for a record-breaking six weeks and counting.
The procedure was conducted by the NYU Langone Transplant Institute in mid-July and marked the fifth such animal-to-human transplant performed by the team. To avoid the problem of rejection by the recipient’s immune system, the organs used in these transplants are derived from genetically modified pigs developed by the company Revivicor.
So far, the recipients of these pig-to-human transplants have primarily been individuals declared brain-dead, with their bodies being kept mechanically alive while the donated organs are monitored. In this latest case, the transplantation involved a 57-year-old brain-dead man with a functional heart who was placed on ventilator support.
Previous attempts at this type of transplantation have focused on keeping the newly transplanted organ alive long enough to rule out immediate rejection by the recipient’s body, typically a few days or weeks at most. However, the NYU team has managed to extend the transplant’s success even further. In mid-August, they announced that the kidney was still functioning well 32 days after the transplantation, setting a new record. The kidney has now surpassed the six-week mark and is still going strong.
Philip Sommer, a critical care anesthesiologist and system director for organ donation at NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute, expressed optimism about the kidney’s performance, stating that “all signs are pointing in a positive direction with the kidney’s ability to function just as a normal human kidney would.”
Researchers are still working to optimize the safety of pig organs for human transplantation. Some previous transplants have utilized organs from pigs with multiple genetic modifications. However, for this recent procedure, the NYU team used a pig with a single significant change: an inability to produce alpha-gal, a sugar found in most mammals but not in humans. Additionally, the researchers transplanted the pig’s thymus gland, which plays a crucial role in regulating the immune response.
Based on the promising results, the NYU team believes that these simple modifications could be sufficient to make pig-to-human transplants viable, at least for kidneys. Revivicor has already received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of their alpha-gal-free pigs in medical applications or as food for individuals with a rare tickborne allergy. Relying solely on these pigs should expedite the process of studying these transplants in larger trials and confirming their safety.
Lead surgeon Robert Montgomery stated that the team believes they are getting closer to the clinical trial phase, with the potential to save thousands of lives. However, he emphasized the importance of ensuring utmost safety and care as they move forward.
While advancements in this field show promise, there have been recent challenges. In March 2022, David Bennett, the world’s first living human to receive a genetically modified pig heart, passed away two months after the procedure. Researchers discovered evidence suggesting that his death may have been partly caused by a dormant pig virus undetected by conventional testing. As a result, the NYU team and other researchers now conduct enhanced screening to identify latent pig viruses that could pose risks.
The NYU team’s immediate next step is to continue monitoring the current transplant for several more weeks, extending through mid-September. These ongoing breakthroughs offer hope for the future of organ transplantation and the potential to save countless lives.