Xenotransplantation : from proof of concept to clinical reality

Article Article scientifique Article Xenotransplantation : from proof of concept to clinical reality eng 2025-09-19 2025-09-19 author Hu Xiaowei 0000-0002-8232-2227 Division of Anaesthesiology, Department of acute care medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland. 822999 author Cooper David K C Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. author Golshayan Déla 0000-0001-5631-6096 Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. author Gonelle-Gispert Carmen 0000-0003-3789-6464 Surgical Research Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Section of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. author Hirsch Hans 0000-0003-0883-0423 Transplantation and Clinical Virology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. author Longchamp Alban 0000-0002-1743-4935 Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. author Meier Raphael P H 0000-0001-9050-0436 Department of Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. author Morel Philippe Swiss Medical Network, Clinique Générale-Beaulieu, Geneva, Switzerland. author Mueller Nicolas J 0000-0002-1059-3191 Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. author Muller Yannick D 0000-0003-0513-7156 Division of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. author Pascual Manuel Transplantation Center, Lausanne University Hospital Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. author Puga Yung Gisella 0000-0002-2283-7798 Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Allergology, University Hospitals Geneva and Medical Faculty, Geneva, Switzerland. 666337 author Rieben Robert 0000-0003-4179-8891 Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. author Seebach Jorg Dieter 0000-0001-5748-4577 Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 647894 Département de médecine (DEMED) author Bühler Léo 0000-0003-2572-7487 Cantonal Hospital Fribourg, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. 4945 10.57187/s.4945 41085342 1424-3997 https://smw.ch/index.php/smw/article/view/4945 Organ allotransplantation remains the gold standard for treating end-stage organ failure, yet the chronic shortage of donor organs limits access to life-saving therapy. Xenotransplantation, particularly the use of genetically modified pigs as organ donors, has emerged as a viable alternative, supported by decades of preclinical research and recent breakthroughs in gene editing and immunosuppressive protocols. The current era of solid organ xenotransplantation began in 2021 with studies involving human recipients who were brain dead and has since progressed to the transplantation of porcine hearts, kidneys, and a liver into living patients. While initial cases were complicated by significant comorbidities and short-term survival, recent xenotransplants in carefully selected patients have yielded improved outcomes. Notably, one recipient of a porcine kidney recently passed the six-month post-transplant mark, an important milestone for the field. Regulatory momentum is also building. In 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved clinical trials led by United Therapeutics and eGenesis targeting patients with end-stage kidney disease. The upcoming 18th Congress of the International Xenotransplantation Association, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 30 September to 3 October 2025, underscores the global relevance of the current breakthrough. Geneva has historic ties to the field, having hosted key early policy discussions and managed the International Human Xenotransplantation Inventory for over a decade. As xenotransplantation moves into a new clinical era, continued collaboration as well as ethical and regulatory oversight will be essential to guide its safe and effective implementation. Animals Humans Kidney Failure, Chronic / surgery Kidney Transplantation Swine Transplantation, Heterologous / methods Transplantation, Heterologous / trends Dewey 616 Dewey 617 Swiss National Science Foundation Xeno2Cure - advanced engineering and testing of organ donor pigs 198577 CH 56 Département de médecine 221 63 Département d'anesthésiologie, pharmacologie, soins intensifs et urgences 229 false 518 Cellules NK et récepteurs FcyR dans l'auto-immunité et le rejet de xénotransplantation 856 Swiss medical weekly 155 2fe6a22b-186c-4c02-8af2-22659f0f6e15 Article (Published version) Public smw-2025-4945.pdf 368337 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 a5d10af23e5deaf593e47e27e9f251641a4f525b8f3762e3a11839bbf5ad24fb openAccess Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de médecine Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département d'anesthésiologie, pharmacologie, soins intensifs et urgences

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Xenotransplantation : from proof of concept to clinical reality	Swiss medical weekly			2025	17	206

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Hu, Xiaowei