Genetically modified pig organ transplants
A long-sought goal of medicine is a steady supply of organs for those who need them. That dream now seems in reach. In 2021, two different research teams successfully transplanted organs sourced from genetically altered pigs into brain-dead humans. In 2022, a team from Maryland performed the world’s first transplant of a modified pig heart in a terminally ill patient. And in 2023, doctors performed a similar feat transplanting pig kidneys. The pigs were modified to become more compatible with human biology—for example, they no longer produce a sugar in their muscles that would set off the human immune system.
These first experiments have shown that the pig organs can survive the transplantation process without immediately being rejected by our immune system. But it will take clinical trials to prove that the technology can truly prolong the lives of recipients, and it may take even more time before these organs are as effective as those donated by humans (sadly, the first living patient to receive a pig heart passed away after two months). But given the ever-present organ shortage, one that leaves thousands of Americans dead annually, it’s a treatment that would still be life-saving for many in the near-future.
