Pig-to-Human Kidney Transplantation Draws Controversy, IPB University Geneticist Talks Like This
The success of surgeons in the United States in transplanting a kidney from a genetically modified pig to a living human last March has given new hope to millions of kidney failure patients around the world. Although the patient eventually passed away after surviving for two months, the moment was seen as a pivotal leap forward in addressing organ shortages around the world.
According to IPB University Geneticist, Prof Ronny Rachman Noor, the development of science related to pig to human kidney transplantation has progressed very rapidly. One of the technologies used is gene editing technology that can solve the problem of organ rejection.
“Basically, gene editing technology so that organs from pigs can be accepted by the human body goes through three stages, namely removing certain genes from pigs that react to human antibodies. Next, certain genes from humans are added to improve the compatibility of the kidney with humans. The last stage is to inactivate the viruses present in all pig genomes to eliminate the risk of infection to the recipient,” said Prof Ronny.
According to Prof Ronny, this rapid technological development has created new hope for patients waiting for conventional organ donors due to a shortage of donor organs. Currently, he said, researchers are focusing on exploring pig organ transplantation as a solution to the shortage of kidney donors worldwide.
“Data shows that the shortage of organs for transplant such as human kidneys is chronic. For example, in Australia there are 1,400 patients waiting for kidney transplants, while in the US the number reaches 96,500 people,” he said.
The results of various studies conducted by researchers show that transplantation is an effective method when patients experience acute kidney failure that requires regular dialysis.
In addition, the results of a study conducted by the National Kidney Foundation in Australia also show that people with kidney transplants live longer than those who undergo dialysis.
Prof Ronny said that interspecies organ transplantation, known as xenotransplantation, is controversial because it involves ethical issues. People generally dislike the types of animals used in research and also donors.
Muslims will certainly refuse if the grafted organs come from pigs due to halal issues. Animal activists and lovers believe that even animals should not be sacrificed for the benefit of humans.
“For decades, researchers have explored the use of transplanted animal organs and tissues in humans. For example, in 1984, the first baby to undergo xenotransplantation received a baboon heart and survived for 21 days,” said Prof Ronny.
He explained that the size of pig organs is almost similar to humans, so pig body parts have been widely used for medical purposes in humans, such as insulin for diabetes and tissue for heart valves.
In its development, pig kidneys that underwent a gene editing process have been successfully transplanted into monkeys that can survive for an average of 176 days. Even in other cases can survive for more than two years.
In its development, not only kidneys are transplanted into humans but also other organs such as the heart using almost the same technology.
“The success of pig-to-human kidney transplants has indeed brought new hope to millions of patients around the world suffering from kidney failure. However, this success story is still shrouded in controversies that will most likely never go away,” said Prof Ronny. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)
