Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here. The transplanted tissue grew into a kidney with identifiable parts, and the host’s blood vessels began infiltrating it.Credit: K. Morimoto et al./bioRxiv Surgeons have transplanted kidney tissue from one rat fetus to another, while the recipient … Read more
Surgeons in Japan have transplanted kidney tissue from one rat fetus to another, while the recipient was still in its mother’s womb. Study lead Takashi Yokoo, a nephrologist at Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, says the surgery is the first step to one day transplanting fetal pig kidneys into human fetuses that develop … Read more
The kidney used in the latest NYU transplant was procured from a pig with a single genetic edit—the removal of a gene that produces a sugar known as alpha gal. This sugar appears on the surface of pig cells and seems to be responsible for rapid rejection in humans. The pig was engineered by Revivicor, … Read more
Other than rejection of the organ, one of the most common transplant complications is infection. Doctors have to strike a balance when prescribing immunosuppressive drugs: too low a dose can lead to rejection, while too much can make a patient vulnerable to infection. Immunosuppressants are powerful drugs that can cause a range of side effects, … Read more