TOKYO - A Japanese startup said Monday it will conduct clinical trials of pig kidney transplants to humans at two hospitals as early as 2028, which if successful would likely make them the first of their kind in the country.
It is hoped that organ transplants from pigs to humans will address the shortage of organ donors in Japan. Pig kidney transplants have previously been carried out on a trial basis in the United States and China.
Around 300,000 people in Japan undergo dialysis, of which about 15,000 are currently on the waiting list for a transplant as of the end of May, according to the Japan Organ Transplant Network. The average wait for a kidney transplant is about 15 years, longer than for other organs, the organization said.
According to the Meiji University venture, PorMedTec, the kidneys, which have been genetically modified to prevent organ rejection, will be transplanted at Hokkaido University Hospital in Sapporo and Shonan Kamakura General Hospital in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.
"We want to lay the foundation of xenotransplantation in Japan," Hiroshi Nagashima, a Meiji University professor and representative director of the company, said in a press release, referring to the surgical transfer of non-human animals' organs to human recipients.
The startup imports genetically modified pig cells developed by U.S. biotechnology company eGenesis Inc. and produces pigs with the same features in Japan. The genes of the animal have been modified in 69 areas to prevent organs from being rejected by recipients' bodies.
Since 2024, eGenesis has transplanted pig kidneys into four patients. In one case, a patient lived for around nine months without requiring dialysis before subsequently receiving a kidney transplant from a human donor.
The Japanese firm said it will finalize plans for the clinical trial and hopes to promote the widespread use of the treatment for patients with severe kidney failure once manufacturing and marketing approval is granted.
Michikata Okubo, who heads the Green Ribbon Promotion Association, a nonprofit organization working to raise awareness about organ transplantation, said that while xenotransplantation could become an option if realized, caution is needed.
"It may not last a lifetime, but it could play a role in sustaining life. There will likely be anxiety and a psychological burden over whether an infectious disease will develop," said Okubo, who has previously undergone a kidney transplant.
