Some piglets are raised specifically for the purpose of being organ donors.
Pigs, in turn, had a lot going for them. With centuries of agricultural experience under our belt, pigs were easier to breed, keep pathogen-free, and even genetically engineer.
That last part is crucial because, before these pigs are even born, they needed to be “humanized” so that their organs are compatible with our bodies. This is done using the gene-editing tool CRISPR. There’s the three-gene pig , the five-gene pig, the ten-gene pig, and the sixty-gene pig, with a Goldilocks-like debate over how many changes are just right. Everybody agrees that, at minimum, three pig genes need to be knocked out so that our bodies have a fighting chance of accepting the organ.
Biotechnology companies Revivicor and eGenesis, on the other hand, are the embellishers, hoping that with a more ambitious set of edits, they can eliminate the need for immunosuppression and get the best long-term survival. “Some of our colleagues and competitors are minimum editing,” eGenesis’ CEO Mike Curtis said, “because, well, they can’t do anything else.” After several years of testing and dozens of iterations, Revivicor and eGenesis have been able to ensure more-or-less consistent models.
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