Piglets born in January 2024 were genetically modified to avoid rejection by the human immune system, a major problem for xenotransplantation. The company claims this is the first time such pigs have been cloned outside the US, marking a significant step forward for the industry.

The implementation of xenotransplantation in Japan has been eagerly anticipated for several years, but has remained in the basic research phase as pigs that could withstand clinical use are still under development.
– says the company’s statement.

The company also published a preclinical study in the journal Nature showing that they were able to knock out genes in pig kidneys involved in pathways that trigger the human body’s immune response. The study suggests that gene-edited pig kidneys can work well in human recipients without causing serious complications.

The company hopes to collaborate with other researchers and institutions in Japan to conduct clinical trials and obtain approval for xenotransplantation.

Xenotransplantation is seen as a potential solution to this problem, as it can provide an unlimited supply of organs from animals such as pigs, which have similar organ sizes and physiology to humans.

It’s not that simple

At the same time, there are still many ethical, social and scientific issues that need to be overcome before xenotransplantation can become a reality.

One concern is the risk of animal-to-human disease transmission, such as from porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) embedded in the pig genome. PorMedTec’s US partner eGenesis claims to have developed a technology that will eliminate all PERVs in pig cells and make them safer for human use.

Another challenge is public acceptance of xenotransplantation, which can raise concerns about animal welfare, human dignity and religious beliefs. The company says it is committed to providing the highest standards of animal care and ethics and will work with the public and stakeholders to increase awareness and understanding of xenotransplantation.

Xenotransplantation is also being explored in other countries, such as China, where researchers transplanted pig hearts, livers and corneas into monkeys, and the United States, where researchers combined pig livers and human livers and transplanted a pig heart into a human patient.

The field of xenotransplantation is rapidly developing but still faces many obstacles and uncertainties. It is not yet known whether it will become a viable and acceptable option for organ transplantation.