biostudies-literatureUnknownCleveland JDNHLBI NIH HHSNational Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteNational Heart Lung and Blood Institute Division of Intramural ResearchNIH HHSGene-edited pig hearts may have an application for critically ill infants who are poor candidates for mechanical support. We established a pediatric animal model of gene-edited pig orthotopic cardiac xenotransplantation (OCXT) in baboons to assess its potential as a bridge to allotransplantation. Fifteen OCXTs were performed from genetically-engineered infantile pigs into size-matched baboons. Maintenance immunosuppression was founded on CD40/CD154 costimulation pathway blockade and rapamycin. After being sustained by xenografts for >4 months, 3 xenograft recipients were selected for transition to cardiac allotransplantation. Outcomes were tracked by invasive hemodynamic monitoring, surface echocardiography, and serial blood tests. After OCXT, 8 of 15 (53%) baboons achieved survival of >1 American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant SurgeonsS1600-6135(25)03182-Xhttps://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12935157biostudies-literatureGene-edited pig cardiac xenotransplantation as a bridge to allotransplantation in infants: Progress in a pig-to-baboon model.PMC12935157R33 HL163718P40 OD024628Low SMoreno ICooper DKCHodo CLKatz ESimmons JFenske JChitta SYeung VSwicord WCleveland DCMitchell CBVo CWeisert MBakshi KJuliani JDe La Garza MCleveland JDGetchell KNeal SJPerrin SfalseGene-edited pig cardiac xenotransplantation as a bridge to allotransplantation in infants: Progress in a pig-to-baboon model.Gene-edited pig hearts may have an application for critically ill infants who are poor candidates for mechanical support. We established a pediatric animal model of gene-edited pig orthotopic cardiac xenotransplantation (OCXT) in baboons to assess its potential as a bridge to allotransplantation. Fifteen OCXTs were performed from genetically-engineered infantile pigs into size-matched baboons. Maintenance immunosuppression was founded on CD40/CD154 costimulation pathway blockade and rapamycin. After being sustained by xenografts for >4 months, 3 xenograft recipients were selected for transition to cardiac allotransplantation. Outcomes were tracked by invasive hemodynamic monitoring, surface echocardiography, and serial blood tests. After OCXT, 8 of 15 (53%) baboons achieved survival of >1 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Dec2026-07-10T03:26:02.913Z2026-07-10T03:16:20.243ZS-EPMC129351574145373810.1016/j.ajt.2025.12.017