NYU Langone Health has performed a second successful investigational xenotransplantation procedure using a genetically engineered pig kidney. This second surgery is a sign of continued progress toward a potential alternative supply of life-saving organs, according to a press release.
Leading the second surgical procedure was Robert Montgomery, the professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone and director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute in New York, USA. He transplanted a pig kidney lacking the alpha-gal gene to a recently deceased donor maintained on a ventilator. LiveOnNY, the nonprofit organisation that facilitates organ and tissue donation in the greater New York City area, assisted in identifying a generous whole-body donor to help move this research forward.
“We have been able to replicate the results from the first transformative procedure to demonstrate the continued promise that these genetically engineered organs could be a renewable source of organs to the many people around the world awaiting a life-saving gift,” said Montgomery. “There is much more work to do before we begin living human trials, but our preliminary findings give us hope.”
The procedure, part of an ongoing study, was performed on 22 November 2021, at an NYU Langone research laboratory in Manhattan. The kidney was procured from a GalSafe pig engineered by Revivicor, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation. The gene that encodes the glycan known as alpha-gal—which is responsible for a rapid antibody-mediated rejection of porcine organs by humans—was “knocked out” in the donor pig. The pig’s thymus gland, responsible for “educating” the immune system, was fused with the kidney before transplantation.
The kidney was attached to the blood vessels in the upper leg, outside the abdomen, and covered with a protective shield for observation and kidney tissue sampling over a 54-hour period of study. Urine production and creatinine levels—key indicators of a properly functioning kidney—were normal and equivalent to what is seen in a human kidney transplant. Throughout the procedure and subsequent observation period, there were no signs of rejection.
“We continue to make progress with the single-gene knockout xenotransplantation,” added Montgomery. “With additional study and replication, this could be the path forward to saving many thousands of lives each year.”
