Pig kidney transplant a success

Two kidneys from a genetically modified pig have been successfully transplanted into the body of a brain-dead human patient for the first time.

The cross-species operation has been described as a “game-changing moment in the history of medicine” and raises hopes of clinical trials in humans with kidney failure in the near future.

Jim Parsons, 57, was an organ donor and dirt bike enthusiast who was in a serious accident in September last year that left him braindead. While his organs were not viable for donation, his family consented for him to be part of a pioneering xenotransplant experiment to test the safety of animal organs in people. On Sept. 30, doctors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital replaced Parsons' kidneys with two from a donor pig.

The transplanted kidneys were able to filter blood, produce urine and, crucially, were not immediately rejected. The kidneys worked well for 77 hours until the experiment was terminated owing to the failing condition of Parsons' body.

Scientists have been working on xenotransplantation — the use of organs or tissues from animals in humans — for decades.

A company based in Virginia called Revivicor — a spin-out company from PPL Therapeutics that created Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal — produced the pig, which had 10 genetic alterations designed to ensure its organs would be safe and effective.

Xenotransplants are getting closer to a clinical reality, and this study lays the groundwork for larger trials.

Last week, David Bennett from Maryland, became the first person to successfully receive an animal organ when he was given a genetically modified pig heart.