Surgeons complete first genetically edited pig kidney transplant into living recipient
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Key takeaways:
- Surgeons successfully transplanted the first genetically edited pig kidney into a 62-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease.
- The pig kidney was genetically edited using CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital have transplanted the first genetically edited pig kidney into a 62-year-old man living with end-stage kidney disease.
The 4-hour surgery took place on March 16 with a pig donor that was genetically edited using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to remove pig genes and add certain human genes to improve its compatibility with humans, according to a press release. Scientists inactivated porcine endogenous retroviruses in the pig donor to eliminate any risk of infection in humans. The pig kidney had 69 genomic edits, according to the release.
“Mass General Brigham researchers and clinicians are constantly pushing the boundaries of science to transform medicine and solve significant health issues facing our patients in their daily lives,” Anne Klibanski, MD, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham, said in the release. “Nearly [7] decades after the first successful kidney transplant, our clinicians have once again demonstrated our commitment to provide innovative treatments and help ease the burden of disease for our patients and others around the world.”
The transplant team used tegoprubart (Eledon Pharmaceuticals Inc.), an investigational anti-CD40L antibody, and ravulizumab (Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.) as part of the immunosuppressive drug regimen to help reduce the risk of organ rejection.
“This first-ever kidney xenotransplant marks a pivotal moment for the transplant community and provides hope that this option may one day help solve the current shortage of available organs,” David-Alexandre C. Gros, MD, Eledon CEO, said in a release. “Eledon has now participated in both heart and kidney xenotransplant procedures, further demonstrating tegoprubart’s broad potential in transplant.”
The patient who received the pig kidney transplant, Richard “Rick” Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, is recovering and is expected to be discharged soon, according to the release.
In a statement, Slayman said his previous kidney transplant began failing in 2023. “My nephrologist, Winfred Williams, MD, and the transplant center team suggested a pig kidney transplant, carefully explaining the pros and cons of this procedure,” Slayman wrote. “I saw it not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive.”
Slayman has had type 2 diabetes and hypertension and previously received a kidney transplant from a human deceased donor in December 2018, after being on dialysis for 7 years. The transplanted kidney showed signs of failure about 5 years later, and Slayman returned to dialysis in May 2023. Since resuming dialysis, he experienced dialysis vascular access complications requiring visits to the hospital every 2 weeks for de-clotting and surgical revisions, according to the release.
“At [Massachusetts General Hospital] alone, there are over 1,400 patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant,” Leonardo V. Riella, MD, PhD, medical director for kidney transplantation, said in the release. “Some of these patients will unfortunately die or get too sick to be transplanted due to the long waiting time on dialysis. I am firmly convinced that
Reference:
Eledon Pharmaceuticals announces use of tegoprubart in first-ever transplant of genetically modified kidney from a pig to a human. https://ir.eledon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/eledon-pharmaceuticals-announces-use-tegoprubart-first-ever. Published March 21, 2024. Accessed March 21, 2024.
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