STAT+: Recipients of gene-edited pig kidneys successfully receive human organs

For xenotransplantation to work, doctors need to know that receiving an animal organ won't trigger antibodies that would later attack a human organ. eGenesis scientists had reason to believe this from primate studies, but clinical confirmation was lacking. On Thursday evening, the biotech company announced that two of its first recipients of genetically engineered pig kidneys have now successfully received organs from human donors.

The transition was not seamless: in both cases, doctors removed the pig kidney and the patients returned to dialysis for months before a human kidney became available. Still, the fact that both patients could go for the better part of a year without needing dialysis represents a milestone. The broader project is driven by a persistent shortage of human organs for transplantation, a shortage that leaves many patients waiting and some dying before they receive an organ.