A Japanese doctor working at the US hospital where surgeons transplanted a pig organ into a human patient earlier this year says research on transplants involving animal organs should be accelerated in his home country.
Kawai Tatsuo was a member of the surgical team at Massachusetts General Hospital that transplanted a genetically-modified pig kidney into a living patient in March.
The organ was genetically altered to prevent rejection. The patient was 62 years old at the time, and he was suffering from a kidney disease. He died two months after the operation. But the hospital says there is no indication that the transplant caused the patient’s death.
Kawai spoke at a news conference that was held near Tokyo on Tuesday. He said he had the impression that the pig kidney was very similar to a human one, as the patient was able to release urine right after the transplant.
Kawai also said he believes xenotransplantation has the potential to become a common medical treatment.
The xenotransplantation of pig organs into humans is attracting much attention, as there is a shortage of available organs. An animal organ has never been transplanted into a human being in Japan. But research on xenotransplantation involving animal-to-human transplants is being conducted in the nation.
Kawai said he thinks surgeons in Japan will be able to perform such transplants in the near future, if they work together with the US team, which is considered to be the leader in the field.
Kawai noted that xenotransplantation is an important procedure in Japan, where organ transplants are rare. He also called on Japanese society to support research on xenotransplantation involving animal-to-human transplants.