The Potential of the Combination of CRISPR/Cas9 and Pluripotent Stem Cells to Provide Human Organs from Chimaeric Pigs

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Wanyou Feng¹  Yifan Dai³  Lisha Mou¹  David K. C. Cooper⁴  Deshun Shi²  Zhiming Cai¹ 

[1] Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Xenotransplantaton, State and Local Joint Cancer Genome Clinical Application of Key Technology Laboratory, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518039, China; E-Mail:;State Key Laboratory of Conservation & Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning 530005, China; E-Mail:;Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Xenotransplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China; E-Mail:;Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: CRISPR/Cas9;    genome editing;    iPSC;    pigs;    chimaeric;    xenotransplantation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms16036545

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Clinical organ allotransplantation is limited by the availability of deceased human donors. However, the transplantation of human organs produced in other species would provide an unlimited number of organs. The pig has been identified as the most suitable source of organs for humans as organs of any size would be available. Genome editing by RNA-guided endonucleases, also known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR/Cas9), in combination with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), may have the potential to enable the creation of human organs from genetically-modified chimaeric pigs. These could potentially provide an unlimited supply of organs that would not be rejected by the recipient’s immune system. However, substantial research is needed to prove that this approach will work. Genetic modification of chimaeric pigs could also provide useful models for developing therapies for various human diseases, especially in relation to drug development.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.