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Pig-to-primate organ transplants require genetic modifications of donor

A raft of alterations to the pig genome — removing three antigen-encoding genes, adding seven human genes and eliminating a retrovirus — allows kidneys to be transplanted into monkeys, with implications for clinical trials.
  1. Muhammad M. Mohiuddin

    1. Muhammad M. Mohiuddin is in the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.

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In a paper in Nature, Anand and colleagues1 describe the successful transplant of kidneys from genetically engineered miniature pigs (Sus domesticus) into cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Highlighting the numerous modifications made to the pig genome, the authors show in vivo and in vitro that these alterations are justified, and that they might help to overcome the immunological hurdles of transplanting pig organs into people and to prolong the survival of the organs.

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Nature 622, 244-245 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02817-w

Updates & Corrections

  • Clarification 25 October 2023: The original version of this article did not specify that the pig-to-human heart transplant in 2022 involved a genetically modified heart.

References

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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