xenotransplant

Given the overwhelming need for kidneys, and proof-of-concept renal tests already done, most experts predicted that the first modern patient to get a xenotransplant would need a kidney.

Due to the gene editor’s precision, xenotransplant enthusiasts finally have a tool to test out those theories.

Scientists learned that the aggressive immune response seen after a pig xenotransplant is spurred on by antibodies that detect a specific sugar molecule called alpha-gal that dots pig blood vessels.

That immediate reaction, called a hyperacute rejection, is the first major obstacle for a xenotransplant to stick.