Why it’s cool – I mean, come on it’s just so sci-fi, imagine a future where instead of getting on a transplant list they have one ready for you!
What technology do they use?
Overall – Use gene editing to make pigs grow organs that are safe to implant into humans
Specific edits are –
- Endogenous Retroviral Inactivation (RI)
- Problem – An Endogenous Retrovirus is a virus that inserted its genes into a hosts DNA and gets passed on through generations (comprise up to 5–8% of the human genome!), worried that these could cause disease in humans that get transplants from pigs
- Solution – Uses CRISPR-Cas9 to remove these and generate PERV-inactivated pigs
- Triple Gene Knockout (TKO)
- Problem – Patients immune system responds to antigens on tissue
- Solution – Knock out genes that code for the antigens that the immune system reacts to
- Human Transgene Insertion
- “Insertion of human transgenes to regulate immune response, reduce inflammation, improve coagulation compatibility and regulate complement activation”
- source – https://egenesisbio.com/science
“products”
- Kidney and Liver in Clinical trials, heart in preclinical trials
- Patients have gotten implants already!
- in March 2024, Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, became the first person in the world to receive a genetically edited porcine kidney transplant, unfortunately passed away after 52 days
- Tim Andrews, 66, became the second patient, porcine kidney was removed after functioning for nearly nine months, providing invaluable data
Ethics
- Voluntariness
- Is it ethical to have cross-species transplants? Trials for growing human organs in pigs were paused for ethical concerns. Author brings us welfare concerns for the animals being grown as well. On the other hand, “More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for organ transplants. Demand overwhelms supply, and thousands die each year before one becomes available.”
Nicos blog 