Japan Makes Strides in Xenotransplantation with Birth of Genetically Modified Piglets
Japanese researchers have achieved a significant milestone in the field of xenotransplantation, the transplantation of animal organs into humans, with the birth of three piglets cloned from a genetically modified pig. These piglets hold the potential to provide a solution to the global organ shortage crisis.
The piglets were born through a collaboration between PorMedTec, a Kawasaki-based company, and researchers from Kagoshima University and Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine. The original genetically modified pig was created by the U.S. biotechnology company eGenesis, with the aim of preventing organ rejection in human recipients.
The piglets' kidneys are planned to be transplanted into monkeys this summer to assess their safety and viability for human transplantation. The ultimate goal is to begin transplanting pig kidneys into humans by 2025, followed by pig hearts in the future.
This breakthrough offers hope for patients suffering from organ failure, particularly in Japan, where only a small percentage of patients receive organs from deceased donors. Xenotransplantation has long been explored as a potential solution, but overcoming organ rejection has been a major hurdle.
The emergence of genome editing technology in the 2010s has enabled the development of pigs with multiple genetic modifications to minimize rejection. The successful transplantation of a pig heart into a human patient in 2022 by the University of Maryland further demonstrated the potential of xenotransplantation.
While challenges remain, the birth of these genetically modified piglets in Japan marks a significant step forward in the quest to provide life-saving organs to patients in need.