After the heart, the kidneys. New step forward on the path of xenotransplantation. A team of American scientists has announced that they have successfully performed the first genetically modified pig kidney transplant on a brain-dead man. The surgery is described in the ‘American Journal of Transplantation’. Experts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Uab) – Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine faced a kind of ‘dress rehearsal’. The study was designed and conducted to meet standards directly comparable to those that would apply to a Phase 1 clinical trial, replicating every step of a conventional human transplant.
The positive results obtained, explain the experts, “show how xenotransplantation could” be a valid way to “deal with the worldwide crisis of organ shortage”. The scientific turning point reported, they point out, “would not have been possible without Jim Parsons, 57 years old”, the protagonist of the transplant, the brain-dead man who received the two pig kidneys. Organ donor registered through the Legacy of Hope organization, he always wished he could help others, but his organs were not eligible for donation. His family allowed his organism to be kept running for the surgery.
His kidneys were removed and the two ‘GMO’ pig kidneys were transplanted in their place. Gene editing in pigs to reduce immune organ rejection has made organ transplants from pigs to humans technically possible. There are ten “key genetic modifications” that could make the kidneys suitable for this use.
The process undergone, say the scientists, “demonstrates the long-term feasibility of the procedure”. The transplanted kidneys filtered the blood, produced urine and, most importantly, were not immediately rejected. They remained viable until the end of the study, 77 hours after the transplant. “This revolutionary moment in medical history represents a paradigm shift and a milestone in the field of xenografts, which is arguably the best solution to the organ shortage crisis,” said Jayme Locke, director of the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute and surgeon. head of the studio. “We have filled crucial gaps.”
“Our dream – commented Parsons’ ex-wife Julie O’Hara – is that no other person will die waiting for a kidney and we know that Jim is very proud that his death could potentially bring so much hope. to the others”.
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