PorMedTec

History

2025: Establishment of a farm to breed cloned pigs

Japanese startup PorMedTec has announced a farm to breed cloned pigs whose organs will be used for transplantation to humans. This became known on October 23, 2025.

According to Nikkei Asia, PorMedTec, together with the American biotechnology company eGenesis, will create cloned animals using cells from ordinary pigs. The biomaterial is previously genetically modified to reduce the likelihood of organ rejection by the immune system of the future patient.

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Фото: asia.nikkei.com

The farm will be located in Osaka and will raise about 100 pigs annually. After the animals reach the required size, they are planned to be transported to medical centers to extract the required organs.

The farm will use state-of-the-art equipment, including AI surveillance cameras to track body temperature and other biological indicators of pigs. Automated monitoring will provide control of animal health at all stages of cultivation.

In conditions of lack of donor material for transplants to people, pig organs represent an alternative to human ones. Pig organs are similar in size to human organs, making them potentially suitable for transplantation.

Genetic modification of cells is aimed at adapting the biological characteristics of organs to the features of the human body. The technology is designed to minimize the risks of transplant rejection.

In February 2024, Tokyo's Meiji University, under whose auspices PorMedTec operates, announced the creation of three cloned pigs by a startup and eGenesis. This was the first time in the history of Japan that such animals were created for subsequent transplantation of their organs to humans.

In November 2024, a Japanese company successfully transplanted a pig's kidney into a monkey for the first time. The experiment demonstrated the possibility of engraftment of a pig organ in the body of primates.

In September 2025, eGenesis announced that a patient who had previously had a genetically modified pig kidney transplanted lived a record seven months without the need for dialysis. The dialysis procedure involves cleaning the blood of toxins through filtration. The result indicates the promise of the technology for clinical use.^[1]

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