Researchers at NYU Langone Health have made progress in pig kidney transplants, offering new possibilities for people on long kidney transplant waiting lists. This development could affect nearly 100,000 Americans, including New Jersey resident Andrea Samson, who has Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) and is waiting for what could be her third kidney transplant.
CBS News reported that NYU Langone’s team, led by Dr. Adam Griesemer, has made progress in helping pig organs survive longer in humans and in preventing rejection. Dr. Griesemer said this work is promising: “This holds out hope that if we do see rejection in a living recipient, we'll be able to effectively treat it and extend the survival of pig organs inside of humans to a clinically meaningful duration.”
Dr. Robert Montgomery and his team at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute have studied the immune reactions that cause organ rejection. As per ABC News, these reactions come from antibodies and T cells attacking the pig kidneys after transplantation. In one case, the team was able to reverse the rejection using an approved drug combination, showing a possible way to manage this challenge.
Dr. Montgomery’s research, published in Nature, also outlines a method for early detection of immune attacks, which could be important for organ transplantation. He told ABC News, “And that's what's really unique about the study. I think that this is probably the most deeply studied human in history.” He added, “As we move forward, I do believe that we will be in a position in the next few years where gene-edited pig organs will be an alternative to human organs.”
Xenotransplants could help address the shortage of human organs, but ethical concerns remain. Some patients who received gene-edited pig kidneys have had them removed due to rejection or infections, and there have been cases of deaths after the procedure. Expanding the donor pool could reduce the long wait times and save lives. Andrea Samson, who is waiting for a kidney transplant, said xenotransplants could help more people, noting, “That leaves more kidneys available for others. So any kidney on the market, so to speak, available for people who need it is a boost in the right direction,” according to CBS News.
.jpg){kind=link}