To cope with the lack of transplants, researchers have grown human kidneys in pigs.
- Researchers have successfully grown human kidneys in pig embryos.
- This experience could ultimately compensate for the lack of kidney transplants.
- Whether due to diabetes or other diseases, kidney failure is the leading cause of kidney transplants.
This is a world first. According to a new studyresearchers have successfully grown human kidneys in pig embryos.
Human kidneys in pigs: towards less waiting for transplants?
As kidneys are the most commonly transplanted organs in humans, waiting lists to benefit from them are often very long, with many people dying before even being transplanted. To solve this problem, scientists have developed embryos with human and porcine cells, called “chimeras”.
“Rat organs have already been produced in mice and mouse organs have already been produced in rats, but previous attempts to produce human organs in pigs have so far been unsuccessful,” said study director Liangxue Lai in a press release. “Our new approach made it possible to improve the integration of human cells into recipient tissues and to grow human organs in pigs. he congratulated himself.
Human kidneys in pigs: high stakesethics
The chimeric embryos his team obtained were grown in nutrients optimized to meet the needs of both species, and 1,820 of them were then transferred into sows. After 28 days, the animals’ pregnancies were terminated and the embryos collected for analysis.
Of the five embryos successfully extracted, the researchers found that all had kidneys that were structurally normal for their stage of development, including the early sets of cells that would form the link between the kidney and bladder. When it came to the proportion of pigs and humans, they found that 50 to 60 percent of the kidney cells were human. Human cells have also been found in the spinal cord and brains of pigs, which raises ethical issues.
While the results of this new research are encouraging, there is still a long way to go before growing human kidneys from animals becomes a reality.
Kidney transplants in France
5,494 transplants were carried out in France in 2022 compared to 5,276 in 2021, an increase of 4%. “For transplants from living donors, 533 transplants were recorded in 2022 compared to 522 in 2021, including 511 kidney transplants with living donors. specifies the Biomedicine Agency.
Whether due to diabetes or other diseases, kidney failure is the leading cause of kidney transplants. “Transplantation improves the survival of patients and restores normal life. Despite its initial burden, it ultimately costs the community less than a lifelong obligation of dialysis,” specifies Inserm.
