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Prolonged survival of GalT‐KO swine skin on baboons
Author(s) -
Weiner Joshua,
Yamada Kazuhiko,
Ishikawa Yoshinori,
Moran Shan,
Etter Justin,
Shimizu Akira,
Neal Smith Rex,
Sachs David H.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
xenotransplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.052
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1399-3089
pISSN - 0908-665X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3089.2010.00576.x
Subject(s) - baboon , xenotransplantation , medicine , immunology , biology , transplantation
Weiner J, Yamada K, Ishikawa Y, Moran S, Etter J, Shimizu A, Smith RN, Sachs DH. Prolonged survival of GalT‐KO swine skin on baboons. Xenotransplantation 2010; 17: 147–152. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Background: Allogeneic skin is currently the best alternative to autologous skin as a temporary treatment for severe burns, but it has several drawbacks. As a potential alternative, we have evaluated GalT‐KO swine skin, which lacks expression of the Gal epitope, to investigate the effect of eliminating this epitope on survival of pig‐to‐baboon skin grafts. Methods: Two adult baboons that had fully recovered from previous T cell depletion received simultaneous skin grafts from: (i) GalT‐KO swine, (ii) Gal‐positive swine, (iii) a third‐party baboon, and (iv) self (control skin). Recipients were treated with cyclosporin for 12 days and the survival, gross appearance, and histology of the grafts were compared. Results: In both baboons, the GalT‐KO skin survived longer than either the Gal‐positive swine skin or the allogeneic skin. Early rejection of the Gal‐positive skin appeared to be mediated by cytotoxic preformed anti‐Gal IgM antibodies, while the rejection of GalT‐KO skin appeared to result from cellular mechanisms. Conclusions: GalT‐KO skin may have potential clinical benefits as an alternative to allogeneic skin as a temporary treatment for severe skin injuries.