Genetically modified pig organs are being used in early research at an increasing rate. The goal is to meet the need for organs to serve the 100,000+ people on transplant waiting lists. The organ shortage is large with 17 people a day dying for the lack of a transplantable organ.
Here is a link to an NPR story about the second person transplanted with an engineered pig kidney
A woman with failing kidneys receives genetically modified pig organs
I've written about this in the blog before, but if you missed that here is a link to that earlier discussion. It has more information about the tremendous challenge the researchers are faced with to eliminate rejection and disease carrying potential from pig tissue.
Pig Livers may be in the future of transplant choices
The vision I see with this research, and I believe it will be successful, is truly personalized medicine. We will see a time when a pig organ can be genetically modified to fit the patient's genetic profile. This will both solve the availability problem and largely eliminate rejection. It is a difficult technical challenge but an example of the amazing progress being made in medicine today.
If you haven't already joined our survey about the care patients are receiving, I invite you to consider helping us. We seek to document how patients are being served by their docs in this important time of change for our patient community.
The State of Steatotic (Fatty) Liver Care in America is an annual survey of liver patients seeking to understand what their experience with doctors treating the disease has been. We need your input to help us advise doctors where we, the patients, feel the care given needs to improve. Please click the link below to go to the survey. It is completely anonymous.
What you should expect, it will take about 20 minutes and there are 50 questions. LABORIOUS, I know. I hate surveys myself but this is to help us, the patient community, not some company, so please give it your attention.
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If you prefer, this is a link to Spanish Verson
If you would like to read the 2023 report the link below will take you to that one.
