UAB Announces Xenotransplantation Breakthrough

J.Adderton, BSN, MSN

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine have announced peer-reviewed research that could alleviate the worldwide organ shortage crisis through xenotransplantation. For the first time, a person received 2 kidneys from a pig genetically modified to be compatible with a human. The transplanted kidneys filtered blood, produced urine and were not immediately rejected. Additionally, the kidneys remained viable during the study’s 77 hour timeframe.

What is Xenotransplantation?

Xenotransplantation is any procedure that puts live cells, tissues or organs from an animal into a human recipient. It’s a centuries old proposal that gains steam whenever new technology brings scientists closer to making xenotransplantation a reality. Besides kidneys, other potential xenotransplantation products include pigskin for burns and pig pancreatic islets for diabetes.

Ten people die every day in the U.S. waiting to receive a donor organ. The demand for these life-saving procedures far exceeds organ availability. Xenotransplantation research offers hope to the thousands of people with organ disease, injury and failure.

The Study

In the study, published in the American Journal of Transplantation, UAB researchers tested the first human preclinical model for transplantation of genetically modified pig kidneys. The study replicated the steps that may be taken in a xenotransplant clinical trial. You can read the details of each step here.

Approval was obtained from an Institutional Review Board and an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee prior to the surgery.

World’s Firsts

UAB’s researchers achieved several “world’s firsts” through the study. These included:

First peer-reviewed study of a genetically modified pig kidney transplanted into the body of a brain-dead recipient.
First study on a pig-to-human transplant using kidneys with 10 key gene modifications that make the kidneys suitable for direct clinical-grade therapeutic use in humans
First validation of a UAB-developed test for compatibility before xenotransplantation.
First peer-reviewed/published study to establish brain death as a viable preclinical human model.

About the Recipient

The recipient, Jim Parsons, was a 57 year- old registered organ donor through Legacy of Hope; however, his organs did not meet the criteria for donation. Mr. Parson’s ex-wife and children agreed to participate in the study after being approached by Dr. Jayme Locke, director of UAB’s Comprehensive Transplant Institute, and a representative with Legacy of Hope. The family agreed for UAB to keep him on a ventilator to allow his body to continue functioning for 77 hours, the total length of the study. Dr. Locke stated, “Mr. Parsons and his family allowed us to replicate precisely how we would perform this transplant in a living human.” In honor of Parson’s gift, the researchers have proposed the preclinical model to be known as “The Parsons model”.

UAB Transplant and Xenotransplant Team

UAB medicine, as a world leader in organ transplantation, performed 9,055 kidney transplants from 1988 to 2021. The xenotransplantation program at UAB was implemented in 2016 with a focus on addressing the organ shortage crisis. UAB’s program is also conducting focus groups with local religious, business, political and community leaders to study attitudes toward future clinical trials. You can read more about the program here.

Organ Donation Options Needed

Did you know that kidney disease kills more people each year than breast or prostate cancer? About 5 to 15 percent of dialysis patients die every year and the 8-year survival rate is only around 35 percent. In comparison, more than 95% of kidney transplants are successful in curing end-stage renal disease. More than 90,000 people are waiting on a kidney and fewer than 25,000 transplants are performed each year. The wait for a donor kidney can be as long as five to ten years.