US biotech firm breeds pigs for human kidney transplants

The animals are genetically modified to make their organs less likely to be rejected

- AFP

BLACKSBURG, Virginia — On a farm in the southern US state of Virginia, Dr. David Ayares and his research teams are breeding genetically modified pigs to transplant their organs into human patients.

Revivicor, the biotech company Dr. Ayares leads, is at the forefront of xenotransplantation research—the implantation of animal organs into humans—which aims to solve a chronic organ shortage that has led to thousands of Americans dying each year.

It was on this farm that Revivicor bred a pig whose kidney was recently transplanted into patient Towana Looney, according to an announcement made on Dec. 17 by a New York hospital.

"It's just an exciting time," Dr. Ayares said during a recent tour of the research farm.

The pigs are genetically modified to make their organs less likely to be rejected by patients' immune systems.

"These pigs are not typical farm pigs," Dr. Ayares said as he cradled several pink piglets in his arms. "Millions of dollars have gone into the production of these genetics, and so they're very high-value animals."

For more than 20 years, Revivicor in Blacksburg, Virginia, has been conducting research to turn pig-to-human transplantation from science fiction into life-saving medical care.