FDA Clears Genetic Modification in Pigs for Biomedicine and Food

The decision, which concerns the removal of a sugar molecule on the surface of cells in a line of domestic pigs, marks the first time an approval has been granted for both purposes simultaneously.

Written byCatherine Offord

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The US Food and Drug Administration granted approval yesterday (December 14) for a genetically modified line of pigs that marks the first time a GM animal has been given the regulatory greenlight for both therapeutic development and food consumption, the agency says in a statement. The alteration knocks out alpha-gal, a sugar molecule on the surface of cells, and could help minimize allergic reactions to pork and reduce the risk of organ rejection in transplant patients.

The move represents a “a tremendous milestone for scientific innovation,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn says in the statement. “The FDA strongly supports advancing innovative animal biotechnology products that are safe for animals, safe for people, and achieve their intended results.”

Pigs with the genetic modification are known as GalSafe pigs and are made by Revivicor Inc, a subsidiary of the US biotech United Therapeutics. Research in the mid-2010s indicated that ...

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Meet the Author

Catherine Offord
After undergraduate research with spiders at the University of Oxford and graduate research with ants at Princeton University, Catherine left arthropods and academia to become a science journalist. She has worked in various guises at The Scientist since 2016. As Senior Editor, she wrote articles for the online and print publications, and edited the magazine’s Notebook, Careers, and Bio Business sections. She reports on subjects ranging from cellular and molecular biology to research misconduct and science policy. Find more of her work at her website.
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