Japanese startup PorMedTec announced Monday that it has successfully transplanted a genetically engineered pig kidney into a crab©\eating macaque, a first in Japan that is hoped will provide insights into the future use of animal kidneys in humans.
On Sunday, a team of researchers led by Hisashi Sahara of Kagoshima University and Masayoshi Okumi of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine performed the procedure, the firm said. The kidney transplanted into the 7-year-old male macaque came from a 2?-month-old pig whose genes had undergone multiple edits to reduce risks of virus infection and immune rejection.
As of noon Monday, the monkey remained in good condition, with the researchers confirming the release of urine, a sign that the pig organ was functioning properly in the monkey¡¯s body.
¡°We would like to make steady progress in monkey transplantation research and pave the way for the practical application of xenotransplantation,¡± Sahara said.
PorMedTec, a company spun out of Meiji University, has produced a total of 39 donor pigs since February, when it first succeeded in creating three clone piglets using cells imported from U.S. biotech startup eGenesis. The firm inserted the nuclei of imported cells into egg cells, creating genetically modified embryos. They then implanted the embryos into the uterus of surrogate mother pigs to produce clone piglets.
The startup says it now keeps 13 pigs produced this way, and these will be used in more transplants into primates as well as research on how long the recipient models can survive.
Sunday¡¯s procedure was supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development as part of a project to evaluate the quality, efficacy and safety of animal organs. Amid an acute shortage of organ donors worldwide, but especially in Japan, cross-species transplants could become a viable option for many patients with kidney issues.
Currently, over 14,000 people in Japan are waiting for a kidney transplant ¡ª by far the largest group by organ ¡ª with an average waiting period of 14 years and nine months.
In addition, some 350,000 people in Japan are on dialysis due to renal problems, which require them to undergo hours of treatment at a medical institution three times a week. If they can receive a functioning kidney, their quality of life would improve significantly, experts say.
Several people in the United States, including brain-dead patients, have received pig organs. In Japan, where no procedures involving human recipients have taken place, the health ministry is currently updating guidelines to ensure the safety of cross-species organ transplants.
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