xenotransplantation
Coverage of xenotransplantation in the Nexus archive.
- Opinion: Ending animal testing could set back xenotransplantation just as the field is poised for a breakthrough
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advocates ending federally funded animal testing, leading to CDC phasing out primate studies and NIH halting funding for animal models. The National Primate Research Centers are being shuttered or converted to sanctuaries, raising concerns about setbacks for xenotransplantation research.
- China performs first ever combined transplant of pig liver and kidney to human
A Chinese team transplanted a pig’s kidneys and liver into a brain-dead patient, marking the first world record for a multi-organ animal-to-human transplant. The organs functioned for nearly five days before the study was halted per the family’s wishes.
- In a first, human receives multiple pig organs
A brain-dead patient in China received two kidneys and a liver from a genetically modified pig in the first multi-organ xenotransplantation trial. The organs were not immediately rejected, and researchers hope pig organs can address the global shortage of transplantable organs.