Pig organ transplants could eventually become better than human donor organs, according to a leading transplant surgeon involved in a major clinical trial in the United States.
Dr Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, told The Guardian the first transplant under a new trial involving gene-edited pig kidneys has already been performed, with another expected soon. Initially, six patients will receive pig kidneys that have been genetically modified in 10 places to reduce the risk of rejection. If approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the trial could expand to 50 patients.
"The truth is that there's just never going to be enough human organs," Montgomery told The Guardian.
"I think everybody really knows that we have a terrible problem in terms of rationing organs because there's such a scarcity of supply. But unless you've walked in the shoes of somebody who's waiting for a transplant, you don't really fully understand how unlikely it is that you're going to receive a transplant in time," he said.
The technique, known as xenotransplantation, aims to address the global shortage of human organs. In the UK alone, more than 12,000 people have died or been removed from transplant waiting lists over the past decade without receiving an organ.
Trial participants include patients who are either not eligible for a human kidney transplant or are unlikely to receive one in time. Dr Montgomery said human organs will never meet demand, and new solutions are urgently needed.
Recent advances in gene editing have renewed hope for xenotransplantation. Dr Montgomery led the world's first gene-edited pig-to-human organ transplant in 2021, proving the approach could be safe. He said future gene modifications could make pig organs even more compatible than human ones.
