Researchers at the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo have achieved a significant breakthrough in organ transplantation. They successfully transplanted kidneys between rat fetuses, a crucial advancement towards clinical studies involving cross-species transplants.

The study revealed that the transplanted kidney tissue in the rats not only developed but also produced urine for an extended period, up to 150 days after the procedure. This experiment is part of a larger initiative focused on developing fetal organ transplants to treat conditions like Potter syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by kidney failure and underdeveloped lungs in newborns.

Professor Takashi Yokoo and his team are planning to initiate clinical research as early as fiscal year 2026. Their plan involves temporarily implanting pig kidney tissue into human fetuses diagnosed with Potter syndrome. This procedure would act as a temporary solution until dialysis can be initiated after the baby is born.