![]() In the late 1980s, he and Bruce Macher, PhD, professor emeritus at the San Francisco State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, discovered alpha-gal epitopes and anti-gal antibodies and identified their reciprocal distribution.ĭr. He authored the 2017 book “The Natural Anti-Gal Antibody as Foe Turned Friend in Medicine” and a 2019 review article in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology that describes how inactivation of alpha-gal-and the evolution of anti-gal antibodies-helped prevent extinction among Old World primates during epidemics of viruses that contained alpha-gal epitopes. Uri Galili, PhD, is an immunologist and adjunct professor at Rush Medical College in Chicago. “This gene edit is just one of ten edits we are currently using in pigs for our preclinical xenotransplantation development program that we hope one day will help address the critical shortage of transplantable organs for humans in need.” Alpha-gal function unknown “We look forward to working with potential partners in food, drug, and medical device production to potentially bring these products to market,” it states. The modification in this line of pigs, known as GalSafe pigs, inserts recombinant DNA to disrupt a gene connected with alpha-gal production.ĭewey Steadman, head of investor relations for Revivicor’s parent company, United Therapeutics Corp., provided a statement that the advancement shows the potential to develop porcine products in areas where alpha-gal could cause adverse reactions in patients with alpha-gal syndrome. The Virginia-based company that received the approval, Revivicor, develops genetically engineered pigs for use in producing human-use cells, organs, and medical devices, according to company information. The FDA regulates genetic modifications as drugs, and the approval applies to a single swine farm that can produce up to 1,000 pigs yearly. Even for people without a specific alpha-gal allergy, alpha-gal in transplanted animal tissues can cause hyperacute immune responses and at least contributes to transplant rejection. The sugar is a trigger for a rare allergy, and its removal could provide a new source of drugs, excipients, cosmetics, and meat, an agency announcement states.Īgency documents also indicate tissues from the pigs might provide candidate cells, tissues, or organs for transplantation into human patients. The modification, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December, eliminates detectable amounts of alpha-gal, a sugar molecule, on the surface of pig cells. American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)Ī GalSafe pig (Courtesy of United Therapeutics Corp.)Ī line of genetically modified pigs gained the federal approvals needed to be sold for medical uses and meat. ![]() American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR).Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).AVMA Center for Veterinary Education Accreditation.AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network (CAN).Donate to American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF).
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