Monkeys transplanted with kidneys from gene-edited pigs survived for more than two years, according to a new study.
This is a dramatic example of a new technology that has the potential to save countless lives, but the monkey that survived two years had the best outcome of the 15 monkeys in the study – median survival time. The value was approximately 6 months after transplantation.
Xenotransplantation 101: of 104,000 Americans Approximately 6,200 people on organ transplant waiting lists will die this year because the life-saving organs they need are not available in time.
One of the most promising solutions to this organ shortage is also one of the most sci-fi. xenograft. This involves harvesting organs from one species (such as a pig) and transplanting them into another species (such as a human). And after decades of trying and failing, researchers are finally starting to have some success thanks to gene editing.
More than 85% of people on the U.S. transplant waiting list need a new kidney.
They use technologies like CRISPR to make precise changes to the pig’s DNA, making the pig’s organs more readily accepted by the human body.
Last year, a man with terminal heart disease who was ineligible for a human transplant survived for two months after receiving a heart transplant from a gene-edited pig, and another man is currently receiving a heart transplant. They survived for three weeks (and counting). A similar gene-edited pig heart was beating in his chest.
And thanks to the family’s decision to donate their bodies for scientific research, the hearts of the two pigs, who were brain dead at the time of transplantation, continued to function normally for several days.Gene-edited pig kidneys have also worked for a long time 61 days When transplanted into the body of a brain-dead person.
what’s new? These are promising developments, but making organs in other species work many years is the final goal. On October 11th, biotechnology company eGenesis announced that study It shows that we may be on our way to reaching that goal.
eGenesis researchers made 69 edits to the pig genome to help human organs function better over the long term. Three edits knocked out the pig gene, seven edits added the human gene, and the remaining edits disabled the potential pig virus.
(These are viruses that are permanently embedded in the pig’s genome and are mostly inactive, although not completely inactive. Humans also have many of these, but latent viruses from another species can cause complications.) It may be more likely.)
“We expect the human transplant results to be even better.”
Tatsuo Kawai
When researchers transplanted gene-edited pig kidneys into 15 monkeys that had their own kidneys removed, nine of the monkeys survived for at least 50 days. Five of these monkeys lived for at least a year, and one lived for 758 days. Median survival was 176 days.
“These gene-edited organs are more suitable for humans compared to other organs, so we expect the results for human transplantation to be even better.” [non-human primates],” Said Study co-author Tatsuo Kawai is a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Not so record-breaking: According to eGenesis CEO Michael Curtis, monkeys survived for more than 758 days using pig kidneys, but such results are only achieved when the animal’s immune system is severely suppressed. It is said that it was done.
“Longer survival was achieved with stronger suppression, which doesn’t really translate clinically,” he said. Press conference. “The key here is that we are achieving long-term graft survival with clinically translatable inhibition, which is extremely important.”
cold water: It’s impressive that pig kidneys were able to function in monkeys for more than two years, but most of the animals in the trial died within a year.
Kidneys from human donors typically last a lifetime 20-25 years oldMore needs to be done to ensure that people who undergo xenotransplant surgery do not end up on organ transplant waiting lists again.
“We achieve long-term graft survival with clinically translatable inhibitory effects.”
michael curtis
Future prospects: More than 85 percent of people on the U.S. transplant waiting list need a new kidney, making it the most sought-after organ of all time. can If they were sourced from gene-edited pigs, the impact would be significant.
Although eGenesis has not yet completed preclinical studies, Curtis said: told the Guardian The results of this primate study bring us closer to meeting the FDA’s requirements for clinical trials.
“We’re well on our way there,” Curtis said. “We don’t have enough kidneys. In our opinion, that’s the only viable solution in the short term.”
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