Scientists Make Breakthrough in Organ Transplantation with Humanized Kidney Grown in Pig
In a major breakthrough for organ transplantation, scientists have successfully grown a humanized kidney inside a pig. This groundbreaking achievement could help address the critical shortage of organs available for transplantation. The study, published in the scientific journal Cell Stem Cell, details the creation of human-pig chimeric embryos, which consist of both human and pig cells. These engineered embryos were implanted in surrogate pig mothers and allowed to develop for 28 days.
After the growth period, the resulting kidneys displayed a predominantly human cell composition, with approximately 60 to 70% of the total cells being human cells. Lead researcher Liangxue Lai explained the significance of this achievement, stating, Our approach improves the integration of human cells into recipient tissues and allows us to grow human organs in pigs.
Pigs have long been considered an attractive candidate for growing human organs due to their physiological similarities with humans and comparable organ sizes. The human kidney, one of the most frequently transplanted solid organs globally, was chosen for this study. Currently, there are 88,500 individuals awaiting organ transplants in the United States alone, highlighting the urgent need for a solution to the shortage.
However, this milestone was not without its challenges. It took five years of research and development to overcome obstacles such as genetic modifications to the pig to create a suitable environment for human cells and modifications to the human cells to adapt to the pig environment. Despite the success in growing humanized kidneys, the study also has limitations that need to be addressed. A significant proportion of pig embryos experienced degeneration, raising questions about the procedure’s efficacy. Concerns also arise about the contribution of human cells to other lineages, such as the brain and germ cells, if the pigs are brought to term. The composition of organs involves multiple cell types, including vascular cells, which are crucial for normal function and could cause rejection if they have any porcine origin.
Despite these limitations, the implications of this achievement are profound. The researchers envision the possibility of generating fully functional human kidneys within newborn pigs in the future. This development could potentially provide a much-needed solution to the ongoing shortage of organs available for transplantation.
The study’s findings also shed light on the dominance of pig cells in the central nervous system, except for the kidneys. Previous attempts at creating hybrid organs failed due to pig cells outcompeting human cells. However, this study successfully created a specialized niche within the embryos that allowed human embryonic stem cells to flourish.
In conclusion, the successful growth of a humanized kidney in a pig marks a significant advancement in the field of organ transplantation. While there are limitations to address, this breakthrough brings hope for the future of transplantation and offers a potential solution to the critical shortage of organs. Further research and development are needed to overcome the challenges and refine the procedure, but it represents a crucial step forward in saving countless lives through successful organ transplantation.
