In an unprecedented surgery, specialists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have successfully transplant two genetically modified pig kidneys into a person.
The case study was published in the American Journal of Transplantation, in which UAB researchers tested the first preclinical human model for transplanting genetically modified pig kidneys to humans.
The study states that xenotransplantation could become a viable option to face the global crisis of organ shortages and the long waiting list to access a donation.
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The person who received the kidneys is brain dead, but the kidneys could be shown to be functional and there was no rejection. The 57-year-old patient had the kidneys implanted in his abdomen after his kidneys were removed.
The kidneys were “grown” in a modified pig in a special pathogen-free facility.
“Today’s results are a remarkable achievement for humanity and advance xenotransplantation into the clinical arena,” said Selwyn Vickers, dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.
The pigs received at least 10 genetic modifications to make the kidneys accepted by the human body. The UAB experts indicated that this process could become, in the long term, a transplant procedure that could work in the real world.
The study indicates that the kidneys were able to filter blood, produce urine, and were not immediately rejected In addition, they remained viable for 72 hours, the duration of the study.
Previously, modified pig kidneys had only been tested in living primates, not humans.
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that are located on each side of the spine just below the rib cage. Each one is about the size of a fist. Its main function is to filter and remove waste, minerals, and fluid from the blood by producing urine.
When the kidneys lose this filtering ability, harmful levels of fluid and waste build up in the body, and this can raise your blood pressure and lead to kidney failure (end-stage kidney disease). End-stage kidney disease occurs when the kidneys have lost about 90% of their ability to function normally.
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