Abstract

The Promise of Genome Edited Pigs for Organ Regeneration

Hiroshi Nagashima, Director and Professor, Meiji University International Institute for Bio-Resource Research

Generation of functional organs from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is one of the ultimate goals of regenerative medicine. We have advocated a concept of generating human organs from PSCs by organogenesis in xenogeneic animals. This concept consists of two fundamental technologies, i.e., induction of an empty developmental niche in the organogenesis of pig fetus and its compensation by exogenous iPSCs through blastocyst complementation. We have so far demonstrated the production of genetically modified pigs with an organogenesis-disabled phenotype in various organs, including pancreas, kidney, liver, and blood vessels. We also demonstrated the applicability of the blastocyst complementation technique in an allogenic setting for compensating the dysorganogenetic phenotypes of the pigs. Current challenges and future prospects of generating human organs by interspecific blastocyst complementation will be discussed.