The kidney was acquired from a GalSafeTM pig engineered by Revivicor, Inc., a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation. The pigs thymus gland, accountable for “educating” the immune system, was fused with the kidney before hair transplant.
The kidney was connected 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 working kidney– were comparable and regular to what is seen in a human kidney transplant. Throughout the treatment and subsequent observation period, there were no signs of rejection.
” We continue to make progress with the single-gene knockout xenotransplantation,” states Montgomery. “With extra study and replication, this might be the course forward to saving many countless lives each year.”
There are presently more than 90,000 people in the United States awaiting a life-saving kidney transplant, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.
GalSafeTM is a hallmark of Revivicor, Inc
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During a 54-hour observation period after the transplant, Dr. Montgomery and his group tested the kidney tissue and kept an eye on urine production and creatinine levels. He transplanted a pig kidney lacking the alpha-gal gene to a just recently deceased donor preserved on a ventilator. The kidney was connected to the blood vessels in the upper leg, outside the abdomen, and covered with a protective guard for observation and kidney tissue tasting over a 54-hour duration of study. Urine production and creatinine levels– essential indications of a correctly working kidney– were equivalent and typical to what is seen in a human kidney transplant.
Throughout a 54-hour observation duration after the transplant, Dr. Montgomery and his group tested the kidney tissue and monitored urine production and creatinine levels. All were found to be normal. Credit: Joe Carrotta/ NYU Langone Health
Less than 2 months after the first breakthrough surgical treatment, NYU Langone Health has actually performed its second successful investigational xenotransplantation treatment using a genetically engineered pig kidney. This 2nd surgical treatment is an indication of continued development towards a potential alternative supply of life-saving organs.
Leading the 2nd surgery was Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, the H. Leon Pachter, MD, Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone and director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. He transplanted a pig kidney doing not have the alpha-gal gene to a just recently deceased donor maintained on a ventilator. LiveOnNY, the nonprofit company that facilitates organ and tissue contribution in the greater New York City area, assisted in determining a generous whole-body donor to assist move this landmark research study forward.
” We have had the ability to duplicate the outcomes from the very first transformative treatment to demonstrate the ongoing pledge that these genetically crafted organs might be an eco-friendly source of organs to the lots of people worldwide waiting for a life-saving present,” states Montgomery. “There is far more work to do prior to we start living human trials, but our initial findings offer us hope.”
