Current Status of Kidney Xenotransplantation in Basic Research

ABSTRACT End‐stage kidney disease (ESKD) has become a major global public health challenge, and kidney transplantation is currently the most effective treatment for ESKD. However, the growing severity of the donor organ shortage has severely limited the clinical application of kidney transplantation. As a potential ultimate solution to the organ shortage, kidney xenotransplantation has achieved a series of milestone advances in recent years, driven by breakthroughs in gene editing technology, in‐depth understanding of the pathological processes underlying xenotransplantation rejection, the development of novel immunosuppressive strategies, and the gradual launch of clinical research. This review systematically elaborates on the latest advances in basic research on kidney xenotransplantation, including the optimization of gene‐editing technologies for kidney xenotransplantation, the updated understanding and regulatory strategies of immune rejection mechanisms, and the gene‐editing‐mediated optimization of immune compatibility.