TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan faces a significant challenge with its high population of kidney disease patients. According to the Taiwan Society of Nephrology (台灣腎臟醫學會) report, 96,000 patients were under dialysis treatment in 2023.
Dr. Lin Yu-li (林于立), a nephrologist at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital (花蓮慈濟醫院), emphasized that while dialysis and transplants are the primary renal replacement therapy (RRT), kidney transplants offer the best prognosis.
Due to organ shortages, medical researchers have increasingly turned to pig kidneys as potential substitutes for human kidneys. Dr. Yang Che-jui (楊哲瑞), a urologist at Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital (彰濱秀傳醫院), noted that U.S. studies have used genetic modification to reduce acute rejection by removing problematic genes from pigs and inserting human genes. These clinical trials have shown relative success.
Dr. Chen Yen-cheng (陳言丞), director of the Organ Transplantation Center (器官移植中心) at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, explained that the technique involves editing approximately ten pig kidney genes to make them suitable for human transplantation without causing rejection. Although clinical progress has been made, ethical concerns remain significant.
Dr. Chen Shih-i (陳世宜), a nephrologist at the National Taiwan University Hospital Bei-Hu Branch (臺大醫院北護分院), expressed skepticism about the long-term viability of pig-to-human gene transplants. He mentioned that while a pig kidney transplant last year temporarily extended a patient's life, more time is needed to ensure it can support everyday human life in the long term.
As xenotransplantation of pig kidneys shows promise in addressing organ shortages, achieving widespread application will require technological advancements, medical safety, and ethical standards.
