Transplanting Pig Kidneys In Humans | How Far Away Are We?

In the last three months, since October, we have had two experiments and one clinical published trial of pig organs kidneys and one heart being transplanted into human beings. This is a really amazing breakthrough. However, we shouldn’t get too excited because this stuff’s not going to be out anytime soon.

I’m getting a lot of questions on this topic from a lot of different people who are emailing and reaching out to us. I’m gonna go through just what’s been going on so since October 20th. We had our first experiment where they took a pig kidney. They didn’t transplant internally but they did attach it or connect it to a human being who was brain dead. They did this for about 77 hours and they were able to see the function.

Before transplanting pig kidneys in humans, the pig kidney has to be genetically modified. There are genetic markers the pig kidney has that we don’t want because it’s going to be bad for us. Then they attach it to the purse on the outside of their thigh where some of the vessels were attached in the body. It made urine outside the body collected in a bag. For the 77 hours it looked fairly well. It was able to do some of the jobs of keeping the creatinine in order, good gfr, and it made urine. It only lasted 77 hours so most likely the person the person that was brain dead passed away, or that’s all they were doing to study for they don’t mention really how come.

That was the first experiment and it looked pretty good. This doesn’t mean much because we have to do much more research. The next trial actually got published in a medical journal i’m going to read it to you. It was in the American Journal of Transplantation January 20th 2022, First Clinical Grade Porcine Kidney Xenotransplant Using a Human Deciding Model. They took two of these genetically modified kidney organs from pigs and they opened the person up put them inside and closed them. They did have the urine flowing outside the body so they were collecting it and they monitored it for five days.

It was a great trial. It actually balanced the electrolytes. The kidney when it started working in the body was helping control the electrolytes. However, it didn’t do a lot of other functions meaning it failed on really regulating the creatinine and gfr. Between the two kidneys they transplanted, one wasn’t able to really do its job but the other one did much better and it had some function. It was able to make urine, take care of some of the creatinine and gfr clearances, and bring the numbers into better places. It still couldn’t do anywhere near the job of a human kidney unfortunately. Those were the two kidney transplants we had. The heart one that I mentioned went into a human being that was alive so this is amazing. The person still seems to be doing well.

When I got first in the field with kidney disease about 20-24 years ago they were talking about kidney organs back then. 24 years later now they did their first experiments. This isn’t any type of technology that’s going to be out anytime soon all right. These are stories that get into the media because they sound really good and they’re going to bring excitement. They’re going to get viewers to people’s online papers, tv, whatever. This is at least 20 years away. We’re so far away because after you do these studies, which you need multiple studies which take a long time and then you got to start doing it in people. You got to start working all the complications of the kidney and then you have to go through clinical trials and the clinical trials is where you’re applying for this to be to be possibly available one day.

You have to do three clinical trials. They’re at least 20 years away and I’m being conservative. They could be as far as 30 or 40 years away, if they even ever come out, I’ve seen a lot of great things start in the kidney field but a lot of times they never make it to becoming a drug.

Instead, focus on things in your power like diet, supplements, and seeing all the right doctors. That’s what you need to focus on. Don’t focus on this stuff. One day maybe it will be available but I wouldn’t put any fate in the fact that this is going to be out anytime soon.