Genetically modified pigs offer hope for red meat allergy sufferers.
- Revivicor genetically modified pigs known as GalSafe pigs to eliminate the sugar responsible for alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat caused by lone star ticks.
- The company shares its small supply of GalSafe pork for free with allergy patients who have alpha-gal syndrome and receive hundreds of orders for it.
- The pigs were initially modified for organ transplantation research to address the shortage of human organs, as the alpha-gal sugar in ordinary pigs causes rejection by the human immune system.
- The FDA approved Revivicor’s GalSafe pigs for food use in 2020 due to the absence of detectable levels of alpha-gal across multiple pig generations.
- Patients with alpha-gal syndrome receive frozen shipments of GalSafe pork from Revivicor, with many expressing gratitude for being able to enjoy pork products again.
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Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Dermatology, Internal Medicine, Oncology