Pig-Organ Transplants

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So, you need an organ donor?

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There’s a long waiting list—more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are on organ transplant lists. The vast majority need kidneys, which currently have a 5-year national average wait time.

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One startup, eGenesis, wants to develop human-compatible organs derived from pigs.

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Pigs are supposedly close to humans regarding how their kidneys, hearts, and livers work.

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eGenesis is making significant progress. Earlier this year, it provided the first kidney transplant in a living person and is in talks with the Food & Drug Administration about clinical trials for pig kidney and pediatric heart transplants.

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With end-stage kidney disease rates expected to spike 29-68% in the U.S. by 2030 as a result of an aging population and rising rates of diabetes, let’s hope pig transplants can help end the shortage of organs for transplants.