Makana Hails Its Latest Discovery as a Breakthrough in Pig-to-Human Transplantation

Makana Therapeutics announced the discovery of a fourth gene in pigs that, when inactivated, could significantly reduce the risk of organ rejection in a human transplant recipient.

Makana researchers previously discovered three key xenoantigens that pigs have on the surface of their cells and “knocked out” the genes in the pig that cause the cells to express these xenoantigens. The company’s Triple Knockout Pig, or TKO, is the current foundational genetics used across the field and is deficient in those three genes.

During recent discovery efforts, every human sample Makana analyzed contained antibodies to the antigen eliminated by Makana’s fourth genetic target. Specifics of Makana’s research will be published in the coming weeks.

Mark Platt, the company’s chief executive officer, stated that pigs incorporating this knockout were produced last year as part of a research collaboration with the University of Miami. He said that Makana plans to launch a preclinical study in 2025 and hopes to conduct a first-in-human clinical trial in kidney xenotransplantation in early 2026 upon approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.