US surgeons successfully test pig kidney transplant in human patient
(VOVWORLD) - For the first time, a pig kidney has been transplanted into a human without triggering immediate rejection by the recipient's immune system, a potentially major advance that could eventually help alleviate a dire shortage of human organs for transplant.
 The surgical team examines the pig kidney for any signs of hyperacute rejection, as the organ was implanted outside the body to allow for observation and tissue sampling during the 54-hour study period, at NYU Langone in New York, US, in this undated handout photo. Photo: Joe Carrotta for NYU Langone Health/Handout via Reuters . |
The procedure done at NYU Langone Health in New York City involved use of a pig whose genes had been altered so that its tissues no longer contained a molecule known to trigger almost immediate rejection.
The recipient was a brain-dead patient with signs of kidney dysfunction whose family consented to the experiment before she was due to be taken off of life support, researchers told Reuters.
For three days, the new kidney was attached to her blood vessels and maintained outside her body, giving researchers access to it.