Macaque survives over 180 days after pig kidney transplant in China

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a macaque earlier this year, achieving organ function for more than six months.

On May 10, researchers at an affiliated hospital of Tongji Medical College under the Huazhong University of Science and Technology transplanted a single genetically edited pig kidney into a macaque, replacing its native kidneys.

Utilizing an enhanced immunosuppression protocol, the transplanted kidney functioned successfully for 184 days, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Friday.

The transplant was conducted following the ethical approval of the animal experiment.

In animal studies involving grafting organs between different species, survival of 180 days is deemed a benchmark for long-term survival, said Chen Gang, a professor at the hospital.

In the first five months after the transplant, the grafted kidney functioned well and had normal physiological readings. Chronic rejection set in after that point.

The team is planning to bolster efforts to curb antibody responses for longer graft survival, thereby setting the stage for human clinical trials, Chen said.

To initiate clinical studies in China, achieving long-term survival in animal trials is a prerequisite, Chen noted.

In March, Harvard Medical School physician-scientists made a breakthrough by transplanting a genetically modified pig kidney into a human with kidney failure. The 62-year-old man died two months later.