October 11, 2023

expert reaction to study looking at the design and transplantation of kidney grafts from genetically modified pigs into non-human primates

A new study published in Nature looks at kidney transplants from GM pigs into primates.

Prof Dusko Ilic, Professor of Stem Cell Sciences, King’s College London (KCL), said:

“The research paper unveils a noteworthy breakthrough in the utilization of animal organs for human transplantation, showcasing science at its best. This groundbreaking achievement was made possible solely through the implementation of state-of-the-art genome editing technology and the collaboration between numerous teams. However, it is important to note that while this represents a remarkable step forward, there is still a long way to go before this strategy could be used in clinical trials.”

‘Design and testing of a humanized porcine donor for xenotransplantation’ by Matthew M. Nour et al. was published in Nature at 16:00 UK Time Wednesday 11 October 2023. 

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06594-4

Declared interests

Prof Dusko Ilic: I declare no conflict of interest.