Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Keeps Monkey Alive For 6 Months In China

A monkey with a gene-edited pig kidney managed to survive for over six months in China as scientists continue to make breakthroughs in their research of transplantation of organs from one species into another. According to researchers at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology's affiliated Tongji Hospital, the team transplanted a single gene-edited pig kidney into a macaque monkey that had its own kidneys removed in May, earlier this year. The monkey managed to live for 184 days which is believed to be the benchmark for long-term survival.

The monkey's kidney functioned normally for five months but developed some complications afterwards as the primate's immune system started rejecting the newly installed organ. Notably, even when a human donates an organ to another human, the recipient has to take drugs to suppress their immune system for the rest of their lives so their body does not reject the donor organ.

The experiment's success is important as previously, the lack of long-term animal tests on gene-edit pig organs limited the number of clinical trials that can be carried out on Human patients. Chen Gang, who led the project, told the South China Morning Post that his team's success could drive forward clinical research in the field.

Pig organs are of similar size to human organs and have similar metabolism mechanisms as well -- making them an ideal candidate for organ transplantation.

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Previous instances

Throughout the globe, there have been only 20 cases of a monkey surviving long-term after the transplant of a gene-edited pig kidney. Last year, a study in the US claimed that it had managed to keep monkeys alive for two years following the transplantation of the alien organ.

Meanwhile, in 2022, researchers at the University of Maryland transplanted a heart from a genetically modified pig into a 57-year-old man who had terminal heart disease, and his medical history made him ineligible to receive a heart from a human donor.

According to a Government of India (GoI) response in the Parliament, the average waiting time for a kidney transplant at the All Indian Institue of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was 8-9 months from the date of registration. However, for a cadaver kidney transplant, the waiting time can't be predicted.