Japan Team Eyes World's 1st Pig Kidney Transplant to Human Fetus

Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese research team including the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo aims to carry out clinical research to temporarily transplant pig kidneys to a human fetus with a severe kidney disease.

The team is fully starting joint research with Thai and German institutions to confirm the effectiveness and safety at an early time, with an aim to conduct the clinical research in fiscal 2027 at the earliest.

This is expected to be the world's first xenotransplantation to a human fetus. Xenotransplantation is transplanting cells or organs of one species to another.

In the clinical research, the team plans to transplant pig kidneys to a fetus with Potter sequence, a condition in which kidneys do not develop and urine cannot be produced sufficiently as a result. After the transplant, the fetus will likely be able to produce urine from birth.

The therapeutic method is supposed to be temporary treatment until dialysis becomes possible for the baby.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]