04 Feb The science behind the first pig-organ transplant trial in humans

The small trial will help to establish whether kidneys from genetically modified pigs can be transplanted into people safely and effectively.

By Smriti Mallapaty & Max Kozlov, Nature

The first clinical trial testing whether pig kidneys can be safely transplanted into living people has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As part of the trial, which will begin later this year, kidneys from genetically modified pigs will be transplanted into people with chronic kidney disease whose organs no longer function independently.

The FDA’s green light will bring the experimental procedure a step closer to one day supplying organs to the thousands of people who are waiting for a donor organ. Read more …