American Man Survives 9 Months with Pig Kidney, Now Successfully Receives Human Kidney Transplant

Demonstrating the Potential of "Bridge Therapy" in Kidney Transplantation

An American man who previously lived for 271 days without dialysis after receiving a genetically edited pig kidney has now successfully undergone a human kidney transplant.

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According to foreign news reports on September 6, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) recently published related research findings in the international medical journal The Lancet.

In January of last year, Tim Andrews, who was suffering from kidney disease, received a genetically edited pig kidney transplant. The transplanted pig kidney had its primary glycan xenoantigens removed, endogenous porcine retroviruses deactivated, and was genetically edited to include seven human genes. After the pig kidney transplant, he was able to live for 271 days without dialysis. Although there was an initial episode of acute rejection against the transplanted pig kidney, he was able to recover with treatment, after which the kidney functioned normally in his body. No signs of infection were observed.

However, starting from six months after the transplant, as the amount of immunosuppressants was reduced, kidney function began to deteriorate, eventually resulting in organ failure. Fortunately, Andrews was able to secure a kidney from a suitable deceased human donor and underwent another transplant with a human kidney. In the following 231 days of monitoring, there was no evidence of sensitization that would indicate an increased risk of his immune system attacking the human kidney.

This case is significant in that it represents the longest survival without dialysis for a patient who had received a pig kidney and is the first instance of a patient who received an animal organ successfully undergoing retransplantation with a human organ. It demonstrates the potential of "bridge transplantation," where an animal organ maintains function while the patient awaits a human organ.

Leonardo Riella, a professor at MGH and lead researcher, said, "Xenotransplantation can serve as a bridge while patients wait for human donors. If long-term safety is ensured, xenotransplantation itself could become a definitive treatment option."

Previously, the genetically edited kidney developed by the biotech company eGenesis was designed to reduce human organ rejection and eliminate the risk of viral infection. On the same day, eGenesis announced that, in addition to Andrews, a second clinical participant had also successfully received retransplantation from a pig kidney to a human kidney. The medical community is hopeful that as these cases accumulate, they will help clarify the mechanisms of microvascular damage in pig kidneys and play a crucial role in further improving gene editing technologies.

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