"We have learned a lot over the past two months through detailed observations and analyses, and we have good reason to be optimistic about the future," Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the Institute of Transplantation at NYU Langone Hospital in New York, where the procedure was performed, said in a statement.
Such animal organ transplants on humans, called xenotransplants, could offer a solution to the chronic shortage of kidney donations. More than 100,000 Americans are currently on the waiting list for organ transplants, including nearly 88,000 waiting for a kidney.
On July 14, the kidney of a pig was transplanted into a brain-dead man who had donated his body to science. The pig had been genetically modified so that the organ would not be immediately rejected by the human body.
While after a month, no signs of rejection were observed, scientists said Thursday that a process of mild rejection was observed thereafter, which required the intensification of immunosuppressive treatments.
More results will be released in the coming months, NYU Langone's statement said.
Several xenografts have been performed by this team in recent years, including the world premiere of a pig kidney transplant on a human, in September 2021. But all their tests so far had been quite short.
This summer's experiment lasted a record 61 days.
"To create an unlimited source of organs, we must learn how to manage pig organ transplants in humans," Dr. Robert Montgomery said Thursday. "Testing them on deceased patients allows us to optimize the immunosuppressant regimen, and the choice of gene modifications, to make future trials safer."
Further trials on deceased persons are planned.
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