New Delhi, June 30 || With xenotransplantation -- animal-to-human transplantation -- poised to address the global organ shortage crisis, a pioneering study has outlined how human immune cells interact with pig kidney tissue in transplanted organs, revealing critical early markers of rejection and potential intervention strategies.
Led by French and US researchers, the study deployed cutting-edge spatial molecular imaging to find key molecular mechanisms that could help overcome the biggest challenge in xenotransplantation: rejection by the human immune system.
The team led by Dr. Valentin Goutaudier from the Paris Institute for Transplantation and Organ Regeneration & NYU Langone Transplant Institute) found that human immune cells were found in every part of the pig kidney's filtering system after the transplant.
Researchers observed early molecular signs of antibody-mediated rejection as soon as Day 10 and peaking at Day 33, reinforcing previous findings that rejection begins rapidly but progresses over time.
By tracking these immune responses for up to 61 days, the team identified a crucial window for targeted therapeutic intervention.
"Our study provides the most detailed molecular map to date of how the human immune system engages with a transplanted pig kidney," explained Goutaudier, while presenting the study at the ESOT Congress 2025 in London, UK.