Biotech Company Egenesis recently announced that it has implanted pig kidneys into a second human patient. Through the development of gene editing and cloning, this animal-to-human organ transplant or xenograft is possible.
Since human kidneys are not sufficient to meet the needs of transplants, eGene and other companies aim to leverage CRISPR-CAS9a winning gene editing technique 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Xenotransplantation surgery
By editing the pig’s genome to remove targeted sequences of pig DNA and insert specific sequences of human DNA, Egenesis says it can reduce the risk of organ rejection and cross-species infection.
“Some people misunderstand that we edit adult animals. We don’t edit cells, and then we can produce adult animals from the cells.”
Feed donor animals in a highly controlled environment to minimize the risk of any pathogen entering the facility.
Curtis told me that Egenesis is planning several other transplants this year with the goal of reaching the final attack in a trial of about 50 patients, and after that, the company hopes to have enough data to make this type of program more widely available.
Self-organized transplant Tim Andrews was discharged from the hospital.
As for self-organized recipient Tim Andrews, his new kidney is about two months old, and the latest news from Egenesis is that he is in good condition.
For more reports on e-gene and xenografts, check out the video in this article.
