Japanese startup PorMedTec is preparing for the country's first clinical trials of transplanting pig kidneys into humans, set to begin in 2028, reports infohub.kz.
Scientists are breeding genetically modified pigs with 69 DNA changes to reduce the risk of organ rejection. The first trials are planned for 2028, and by 2033 they hope to make such transplants a standard treatment in Japan.
"We want to promote this as a treatment option for patients with severe renal failure alongside human-to-human organ transplants and dialysis," said Genjiro Miwa, president of the startup.
He also said that by the end of fiscal year 2027, centers for procuring pig kidneys will be established near hospitals. The startup plans to obtain conditional approval for pig-to-human kidney transplants in 2030, aiming to make the procedure a standard treatment by 2033.
Earlier, Chinese doctors performed the world's first transplant of three organs—a liver and two kidneys—from a genetically modified pig into a human. All three organs began functioning immediately: the liver produced bile within a day, and the kidneys effectively started working right away.
In 2022, a US patient received the first heart transplant from a genetically modified pig. The man survived for two months after surgery. In 2024, American surgeons performed the first pig kidney transplant into a living human.