SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A monkey that underwent a pig kidney xenotransplantation procedure that was developed by the National Institute of Animal Science survived for 115 days, setting a new domestic record for the longest survival time.
A research team at Konkuk University implanted a pig kidney into a monkey in August last year.
After going through a xenotransplantation developed by the Korea Institute of Toxicology, the monkey was cared for under a special management program.
The animal that provided a kidney for the study was a transgenic pig with controlled primary and acute immunity, and was born and raised in a special pathogen control facility.
When it comes to kidney xenotransplantation, the current world record for the longest survival time is 499 days held by the U.S.
Image Credit: Rural Development Administration / photonews@koreabizwire.com
