Another day, another xenotransplant, as United Therapeutics looks to beat competitors to sci-fi-esque breakthrough
Xenotransplantation is having a moment.
Last October, a team from NYU successfully transplanted a kidney from a pig into a brain-dead patient, although observers cast doubt on the importance of the experiment. Then, earlier this month, surgeons at the University of Maryland transplanted a pig heart into a dying human, who appears to still be stable.
Now, another group is planting a flag in the xenotransplantation field. Surgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham said Thursday they have achieved the first kidney transplant from a pig to a brain-dead patient, publishing their peer-reviewed findings online. The team, aiming to differentiate itself from the others through the genetic modifications used, is hoping there’s now enough research to soon begin clinical xenotransplantation studies.
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