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Scientists grow humanized kidneys in pig embryos

The feat is a step closer to growing organs for transplant

An image of a pig embryo seen from the side with a large patch of red visible in its stomach.

Scientists introduced human stem cells into pig embryos (one shown) engineered to lack a kidney. The stem cells then differentiated and grew into a new organ made mostly from human cells.

J. Wang et al/Cell Stem Cell 2023

By Amanda Heidt

Scientists have successfully grown kidneys made of mostly human cells inside pig embryos — taking researchers yet another step down the long road toward generating viable human organs for transplant.