American biotechnology company that produces gene-edited pig organs for xenotransplantation through its subsidiary Revivicor. The company received FDA permission in February 2025 to begin clinical trials of pig kidneys and expects to start trial transplants imminently.
United Therapeutics has performed two pig-heart transplants and has permission to test its "UThymoKidney", which combines a pig kidney with porcine thymus tissue. The thymus is a gland that helps train the immune system to distinguish threats from the body's own cells; the hope is that a combination transplant will encourage the recipient's immune system to tolerate the new kidney.
The company is testing ravulizumab, a drug already prescribed for autoimmune disorders, as a post-transplant treatment.
birth, n: The first and direst of all disasters.