Japan Startup to Conduct Clinical Trials of Pig Kidney Transplants

Tokyo, June 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese biotechnology startup PorMedTec Co. said Monday that it will conduct Japan’s first clinical trials of pig-to-human kidney transplantation at two hospitals in the country as early as 2028.

The two hospitals are Hokkaido University Hospital in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and Shonan Kamakura General Hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.

The transplantation of animal organs into humans, known as xenotransplantation, is expected to help address the chronic shortage of donor organs.

The startup originating from Meiji University aims to obtain manufacturing and marketing approval after confirming safety through the trials.

PorMedTec imported cells of genetically modified pigs developed by U.S. startup eGenesis to raise cloned pigs for transplantation in Japan. It will transplant kidneys removed from these cloned pigs into patients.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]