Doctors at New York University say two new studies show that they are a significant step closer to making kidney transplants from other species a real option in the near future.
Scientists have been searching for years for an alternative to human transplants because the donor supply cannot keep up with demand, particularly where kidneys are concerned.
More than 90,000 people in the US are waiting for a kidney transplant, and about 11 of them die every day, according to UNOS, the nonprofit that manages the nation’s organ donation system. But with an aging population and the rise in conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, the need will only grow.
Dialysis can keep a person with end-stage kidney disease alive, but the process can be hard on the body and can typically sustain someone for only about five years, on average.
In the search for an alternative, scientists have been turning to cross-species organ transplants, called xenotransplantation.
One of the biggest hurdles they have to overcome is the body’s tendency to reject an organ transplant. New studies published Thursday in the journal Nature offer more information on how to prevent the body from rejecting the pig kidney, and the researchers say they think they’ve had a breakthrough in understanding how the immune sy
Continue Reading on CNN
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.