Following a world-first transplant earlier this year, eGenesis has raised $191 million to continue developing genetically modified pig organs for people in dire need of a transplant.
The biotech said Wednesday’s series D round will advance its lead asset, EGEN-2784, a genetically modified pig kidney. In March, the kidney became the first-ever such organ to be successfully transplanted in a human, a 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease who lived nearly two more months before passing away.
The need for additional transplant options is stark. About 106,000 Americans are on a national waiting list for organs, and the vast majority are looking for a new kidney because of advanced kidney disease. Most patients wait three to five years, according to the American Kidney Fund. Black Americans make up a disproportionate share of end-stage kidney patients — about 30%, compared with 13% of the US population.
The funding round was led by Lux Capital and included other investors such as ARCH Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Farallon and Bayer’s venture arm, Leaps by Bayer. Eisai’s US-based venture arm, Eisai Innovation, also joined the syndicate. A spokesperson for eGenesis says the company has raised about $450 million to date.
The transplant earlier this year using eGenesis’ EGEN-2784 was performed by Massachusetts General Hospital. In May, following the patient’s death, the hospital said that it didn’t believe the patient’s passing was because of the transplant
The modified kidney has three core groups of edits, two of which help the human immune system not reject the organ and another that inactivates “endogenous retroviruses” in the pig genome. The company says that without these edits, the pig kidney would be immediately rejected.
Data published in October 2023 underscored how the inclusion of human transgenes that help regulate organ rejection was critical to the sustenance of the organs in monkeys. The research found that kidneys that only received three glycan antigen knockouts didn’t perform as well.