A research team in China has achieved a significant breakthrough by enabling a monkey to survive for 6 months with a genetically modified pig kidney.
According to the Global Times, this marks the first step towards successful xenotransplantation in China, laying a solid foundation for future clinical research.
Researchers during the procedure of transplanting a genetically modified pig kidney into a monkey. (Photo: chinanews.com).
The team at Tongji Hospital, part of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, achieved this success in November. According to Tongji Hospital, China’s research and development capabilities regarding genetically modified pigs are gradually aligning with international standards. However, transplanting pig kidneys into monkeys often faces challenges in ensuring long-term survival. This has been a significant barrier to introducing xenotransplantation methods into clinical trials in China.
The results from Tongji Hospital have brought new hope. Mr. Chen Gang, a member of the research team, explained that in animal xenotransplantation studies, a survival period of 180 days is considered the benchmark for long-term survival.
Chen and his team have spent nearly two decades researching xenotransplantation, focusing specifically on more than 20 animal experiments involving the transplantation of genetically modified pig kidneys into monkeys over the past five years.
By improving the immunosuppressive regimen, the transplanted kidney enabled the monkey to survive for 184 days. Within five months post-transplant, the pig kidney was functioning normally, and many physiological metrics remained largely stable.
However, the transplanted monkey developed increasingly severe proteinuria over time. It also experienced chronic rejection due to newly formed xenogenic antibodies.
Mr. Chen stated that they will enhance measures to further improve survival outcomes, paving the way for clinical research.
