A CHINESE team has grown, for the first time in the world, early kidneys from human stem cells inside pig embryos.

The advance that brings pig-grown human organs closer to reality will open an exciting avenue for kidney transplants and a new window for studying human kidney development, according to a study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell last week.

Scientists from the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health of the Chinese Academy of Sciences used a gene-editing tool to engineer certain genes in human induced pluripotent stem cells to strengthen their capability to gain a foothold and form kidneys in pig embryos that are genetically modified.

The study revealed that the researchers harvested five embryos with organized human-pig chimeric middle-stage kidney structures within 28 days and those human donor cells could differentiate into functional cells.

The proportion of human cells in the chimeric kidneys reached 70%, and the proportion of human cell contribution in the formation of mesonephric tubules reached a maximum of 58%, according to the paper. The gestation was terminated within 3 to 4 weeks in accordance with ethical rules. (China Daily)