Japan begins breeding pigs for kidney transplants in humans
A Japanese biotechnology startup and a hospital have begun producing genetically modified pigs for the country’s first clinical trial involving pig-to-human kidney transplants, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to Kyodo, PorMedTec, a startup originating from Meiji University, and Shonan Kamakura General Hospital announced the development at a press conference on July 21.
The pigs will be used as organ donors in a clinical trial that could begin as early as 2028.
The company will also establish two facilities for removing kidneys from donor pigs by the end of 2027. They will be located near Shonan Kamakura General Hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture and Hokkaido University Hospital in Sapporo, where the trial is expected to be conducted.
“We want to promote this as another option for patients with severe kidney failure, alongside human organ transplantation and dialysis,” PorMedTec President Genjiro Miwa said.
The company aims to obtain conditional approval for the procedure as a regenerative medicine product in 2030 and establish it as a standard treatment option by 2033.
PorMedTec imports cells from genetically modified pigs developed by US biotechnology company eGenesis and uses cloning technology to produce animals with the same characteristics in Japan.
The donor pigs carry 69 genetic modifications designed to reduce the risk of organ rejection and limit the possibility of pig-derived viruses being transmitted to humans.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Fujita Health University in Aichi Prefecture was preparing to conduct Japan’s first clinical trials of uterus transplantation within the next few years.
