A 62-year-old man with end-stage renal failure has become the first living person to receive a pig kidney transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA. The world has made advances in transplants since we reported a human uterus transplant in 2011.
The kidney was taken from a miniature pig carrying a record 69 genomic edits, which were aimed at preventing rejection of the donated organ and reducing the risk that a virus lurking in the organ could infect the recipient.
So far, the patient is recovering well and the pig kidney is producing urine and showing other signs of a working organ. This early success has raised researchers’ hopes for larger clinical trials involving pig organs. It follows from news last week that surgeons say they have transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a person for the first time.
Transplanting pig organs into humans, a process known as xenotransplantation, presents challenges stemming from both biological and ethical considerations.
Biologically, the differences between pig and human physiology pose significant obstacles to successful organ transplantation. While pigs can be genetically engineered to reduce the risk of organ rejection, there are still fundamental disparities in immune compatibility and physiological function between the two species. For instance, the human immune system might recognize pig cells as foreign and mount a vigorous immune response, leading to organ rejection.
Pig organs may carry the risk of transmitting infectious diseases to humans, such as porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs), which are integrated into the pig genome. Despite efforts to mitigate this risk through genetic modification and stringent screening processes, concerns persist about the potential for cross-species transmission of pathogens.
Pigs are used in heart valve replacement in humans. The valve from the pig is completely cleaned from biological factors that would cause an immune response, but complex organs can’t be dealt with in this way.
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From an ethical perspective, the prospect of using pig organs raises complex moral questions, particularly for religious communities such as Muslims and Jews. Both religions have dietary laws that prohibit the consumption of pork, and while the transplantation of pig organs may not necessarily violate these laws directly, it raises concerns about the sanctity of human life and the permissible limits of medical intervention.
According to Judaism it is allowed and you are even allowed to eat pork in medicine if it will save your life.
In Islam, Imam Ibn Uthaymeen permitted it when he was asked about putting an artery from a pig into a person’s heart, and he replied by saying, “There is nothing wrong with it, and one should look at what is most suitable for his heart because this is not food, and this is out of necessity.”
Our source says, “It is clear here that it is permissible to benefit unless one finds benefit in a pure thing. If the benefit is found in a pure thing, it is forbidden to benefit from what is impure.
Some vegans may view xenotransplantation as an exploitation of animals.
Looking ahead, the horizon of xenotransplantation remains both promising and uncertain. Advances in genetic engineering and immunosuppressive therapies offer hope for overcoming biological barriers to pig-to-human organ transplantation.
