A groundbreaking US clinical trial using gene-edited pig kidneys offers new hope amid global organ shortages, with experts saying modified animal organs could eventually perform better than human donations.
Pig organ transplants could eventually prove superior to human donor organs, according to a leading US transplant surgeon spearheading a major xenotransplantation trial. Dr Robert Montgomery, Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, revealed that the first kidney transplant using a genetically engineered pig organ has already taken place under a new clinical study, with several more procedures planned soon.
Under the current phase of the trial, six patients are set to receive pig kidneys that have undergone 10 specific genetic modifications aimed at significantly reducing the chances of organ rejection. If the procedure receives approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the trial could expand to as many as 50 patients.
Dr Montgomery stressed the urgency of innovative solutions, stating there will never be enough human donors to meet medical demand. “We have a terrible problem rationing organs because supply is so limited,” he told The Guardian. “Unless you’ve walked in the shoes of someone waiting for a transplant, you don’t fully understand how unlikely it is to receive one in time.”
The cutting-edge procedure, known as xenotransplantation, could transform medical treatment worldwide. In the UK alone, more than 12,000 people have died or been removed from waiting lists over the past decade after failing to receive an organ in time.
The ongoing trial is particularly focused on patients who are ineligible for human kidney transplants or highly unlikely to receive one due to long wait times. Dr Montgomery believes gene-editing advances may eventually allow pig organs to be engineered to function even better than human organs — potentially reshaping the future of transplant medicine.
Dr Montgomery previously led the world’s first successful gene-edited pig-to-human transplant in 2021, a breakthrough that demonstrated the safety and potential of the technology. With rapid progress in genetic science, researchers say xenotransplantation could soon move from experimental stage to lifesaving mainstream treatment.