There is still no consensus on the best way to humanize pig organs, but recent progress has convinced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to greenlight the first clinical trial.
The trial will begin enrolling six participants, and could expand to 44 if early results are promising. A six-month survival after the xenotransplant will be considered a success indicator, although it’s unclear how many patients will need to reach this milestone to win the agency’s approval.
Continue readingWe shared her story when Towana Looney broke the 60-day record with a xeno-organ. A month has passed since then; check out what she says in this inspiring video from NYU Langone Health.
The other xenograft patients arrived at the operating theatre in critical condition, which likely contributed to why none of them survived beyond two months. Towana Looney, however, was in better health when she received the pig kidney edited to reduce the risk of rejection. She benefited from the insights gained from earlier attempts and, on January 25, celebrated a record sixty days with an animal organ. She is the first patient to receive a kidney from a pig with 10 genetic modifications and is currently the only person in the world living with a pig organ.
CRISPeR FRENZY 