Image Credit: UAB News, Steve Wood (UAB)The cross-collaborative, UAB Medicine xenotransplantation study, “First clinical-grade porcine kidney xenotransplant using a human decedent model," was recently recognized as a 2023 American Journal of Transplantation's Outstanding Article.
The porcine kidney xenotransplant, conducted in January of 2022, utilized organs from a genetically-modified pig and proved compatibility through the first validation of a UAB-developed test for the procedure. At the end of the post-transplantation observation 74 hours later, the kidneys remained viable -- proving the procedure a success.
Pioneered by a diverse team of UAB employees and collaborators, including faculty, trainees, and staff from the Department of Surgery Division of Transplantation, Department of Medicine Division of Nephrology, Department of Pathology, Department of Anesthesiology, UAB Hospital Transplant OR Nursing Team, and colleagues from the Legacy of Hope, numerous individuals played vital roles in conducting the study. The study was led by UAB Division of Transplantation Director Jayme Locke, M.D., MPH, and Associate Professor Paige Porrett, M.D., Ph.D.
Given the lengthy waitlists for kidney transplants across the country, the field of xenotransplantation offers a potential, novel solution to the current organ shortage, given that pigs typically live up to 30 years and have organs that are similarly sized to humans.
As of today, there are more than 90,000 patients in the United States who are awaiting a kidney transplant, with a new patient being added to the list every 10 minutes. The future of xenotransplantation pioneered at UAB offers new hope to those with kidney failure and could potentially reduce the current average wait time of 679 days for kidney transplantation and give an alternative path to dialysis.
"This is truly a collective effort from our entire team," says Locke. "Being able to create an actionable solution to help many more patients in need of an organ transplant is a tremendous leap in research that opens the door to countless clinical implications."
Outside of xenotransplantation, UAB is the second-leading organization in the United States in terms of kidney transplants, with over 9,000 completed procedures from 1988 to 2021.
“The UAB Division of Transplantation has provided generational advancements to the field and has given a newfound hope to those currently in the process of waiting for a kidney,” says Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair of Surgery Dr. Herbert Chen.
Additional researchers for the study included: Babak J. Orandi, Vineeta Kumar, Julie Houp, Douglas Anderson, Cozette Killian, Vera Hauptfeld-Dolejsek, Dominique E. Martin, Sara Macedon, Natalie Budd, Katherine L. Stegner, Amy Dandro, Maria Kokkinaki, Kasinath V. Kuravi, Rhiannon D. Reed, Huma Fatima, John T. Killian Jr., Gavin Baker, Jackson Perry, Emma D. Wright, Matthew D. Cheung, Elise N. Erman, Karl Kraebber, Tracy Gamblin, Linda Guy, James F. George, and David Ayares.