2024-03-22 20:12:09
A significant step in replacement organs may have been made in the USA: a pig kidney was transplanted into a human for the first time.
Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human. According to the hospital, the recipient, a person with a life-threatening kidney disease, is recovering well from the four-hour operation and could be discharged soon.
The move could spark new hope for tens of thousands of people worldwide who rely on donor organs. The method, known as xenotransplantation, has been researched since the 1980s. It could solve the problem of long waiting lists for organ transplants.
Patients with pig hearts died
Pigs are particularly suitable as organ donors because their metabolism is similar to that of humans. However, in order to make their organs usable for human transplants, the donor animals’ genetic makeup must be changed. Without such genetic adaptation, the human body would immediately and severely reject the donor organ.
However, not all previous attempts with pig organ transplants have been successful. At the University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, two patients received pig hearts as replacement organs but died a few weeks after the operation. Despite these setbacks, German doctors are also planning similar interventions in the near future.