Kidney Week 2025 Annual Meeting-Plenary: In Memoriam, State-of-the-Art Panel "Xenotransplantation Advances"

Video Transcription

Video Summary

At Kidney Week 2025, ASN President Dr. Prabir Roy Chowdhury opened a plenary session honoring colleagues lost this year and highlighting rapid progress in xenotransplantation as a potential solution to organ shortage. Moderator Dr. Paul Klotman introduced panelists Drs. David Cooper, Leonardo Riella, and Robert Montgomery, leaders in gene-edited pig-to-human transplantation.<br /><br />The panel discussed why xenotransplantation is advancing now: decades of research have enabled genetic edits that remove key pig antigens targeted by human “natural” antibodies, and newer immunosuppressive agents better prevent development of new anti-pig immunity. CRISPR has accelerated creation of multi-edited pigs, and preclinical data show pig kidneys can sustain life in primates for years. Montgomery emphasized the importance of early “decedent model” transplants, which helped demonstrate feasibility and shift FDA thinking.<br /><br />Remaining barriers include immune-mediated complications such as thrombotic microangiopathy and severe proteinuria, plus scalability challenges in producing and distributing gene-edited pigs and organs. The group addressed infection risks (including porcine endogenous retroviruses) and described strategies like breeding out PERV-C, CRISPR inactivation, and intensive pathogen monitoring. Ethical issues, costs, organ preservation/shipping, and future directions (e.g., tolerance via thymus co-transplant, treating diabetes with pig islets) were also discussed, with optimism that progress will continue rapidly.

Asset Subtitle

Presentation(s):

State-of-the-Art Panel "Xenotransplantation Advances" - David Cooper, Robert Montgomery, Leonardo Riella

Note: Continuing education credits are not being offered for this session.

Meta Tag

Date 11/9/2025

Pathway 1 Kidney Transplantation

Session ID 518279

Keywords

Kidney Week 2025

American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

xenotransplantation

gene-edited pig-to-human kidney transplant

CRISPR multi-edited pigs

immunosuppression and anti-pig antibodies

porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) risk mitigation

thrombotic microangiopathy and proteinuria complications