During a visit to the Medical Taiwan trade exhibition in June, Middle East Health spoke to Taiwanese biomedical company, Acro Biomedical. The company has achieved the seemingly impossible: transforming pig organs into human-compatible transplants that completely bypass immune rejection. Their groundbreaking supercritical carbon dioxide extraction technology strips away immunogenic components whilst preserving tissue architecture, creating universal donor organs from an unlimited animal source. With corneal transplants already approved in Taiwan and bone grafts showing remarkable success, this breakthrough could finally solve the global organ shortage crisis that claims thousands of lives annually.
Scientists in laboratories at Acro Biomedical, a Kaohsiung, Taiwan-based biomedical company, are rewriting the rules of organ transplantation. Their revolutionary supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) extraction technology has achieved what was once thought impossible: transforming pig organs into human-compatible transplants that bypass the body’s immune rejection mechanisms entirely.
The breakthrough has already delivered tangible results. In March 2025, Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare granted approval for the company’s ABCcolla® Collagen Ophthalmic Matrix, marking the world’s first commercially approved animal-to-human corneal transplant technology. This achievement represents a paradigm shift for the millions of patients awaiting this life-changing procedure.
Addressing humanity’s organ crisis
The numbers paint a stark picture of medical need. Over 20 million people worldwide suffer from corneal blindness, yet only 100,000 corneal transplants are performed annually – leaving a devastating gap between supply and demand. The global corneal transplant market, valued at $500 million in 2024, is projected to double to $1 billion by 2033, driven by an ageing population and rising awareness of vision care.
Traditional transplantation relies on human donors, creating bottlenecks that result in preventable suffering and death. Acro Biomedical’s innovation circumvents these limitations by tapping into an abundant alternative source: carefully processed porcine tissues that share remarkable structural similarities with human organs.
Revolutionary technology decoded
The company’s proprietary SCCO22 process operates under precisely controlled conditions
– 350 bar pressure and temperatures of 3545°C – where carbon dioxide achieves a unique supercritical state. In this phase, CO2 exhibits both gas-like penetration and liquid-like density, enabling complete tissue infiltration whilst remaining entirely nontoxic and leaving no harmful residues.
“We simply remove all the immunogens from the tissue,” explains Dr Dar-Jen Hsieh, Chairman and CEO of Acro Biomedical. “The collagen scaffold material remains for human application. Human and porcine tissues are 99% identical, so this material won’t cause immune rejection. Your stem cells will recognise this collagen material as self-material.”
Research published in Acta Biomaterialia [1] demonstrates the technology’s extraordinary efficiency. DNA analysis reveals that the SCCO2 process eliminates 99.1% of genetic material from porcine corneas – far exceeding the 50 ng/mg threshold considered safe for medical implants. Crucially, the process preserves complete collagen structures essential for tissue function whilst removing all cellular proteins that typically trigger immune responses.
Clinical validation transforms vision
The technology’s most remarkable validation came through corneal transplantation studies. In controlled trials, animals suffering from induced corneal blindness recovered functional vision within 30 days of receiving SCCO22 processed implants. A pet dog, completely blind from corneal damage, regained sight and maintained clear vision throughout extended observation periods.
The processed corneas demonstrate optical properties virtually identical to human tissue, with light transmittance measurements confirming preservation of visual clarity. Mechanical testing reveals sufficient strength to withstand traditional surgical procedures, including conventional suturing techniques familiar to ophthalmologists worldwide.
Following rigorous clinical trials, the ABCcolla Collagen Ophthalmic Matrix now offers hope to patients suffering from corneal melting, trauma, infections, and severe injuries. The technology serves as a viable alternative to human donor corneas, with significantly reduced rejection risks.
Expanding frontiers: bone regeneration breakthrough
Building on corneal success, Acro Biomedical has developed decellularised porcine bone grafts that address substantial global demand for bone substitute materials. Current procedures often require harvesting tissue from patients’ own bodies
– creating additional surgical sites and limiting available material quantities.
Research published in the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine [2] demonstrates that SCCO22-processed bone grafts maintain complex porous architecture essential for new bone formation. Unlike high-temperature sintering processes that destroy natural collagen and distort structures, the SCCO22 method preserves critical features for tissue regeneration.
In rabbit studies comparing performance to Bio-Oss – the current gold standard bovine bone substitute – histomorphometric analysis revealed equivalent bone regeneration outcomes. However, the SCCO22-processed material offers distinct advantages: complete retention of natural collagen, preserved microarchitecture, and demonstrated freedom from viral contamination.
Comprehensive pathogen elimination
Beyond structural preservation, the SCCO22 process delivers exceptional safety through comprehensive pathogen elimination. Viral inactivation studies demonstrate clearance exceeding 6 log1022 reduction factors across multiple virus types, including DNA and RNA variants, enveloped and non-enveloped species.
This pathogen clearance capability addresses transplantation medicine’s fundamental concern: preventing infectious agent transmission from donor to recipient. Traditional processing methods struggle to achieve such comprehensive sterilisation whilst maintaining tissue integrity.
Extensive biocompatibility testing according to ISO-10993 standards confirms the processed tissues’ safety profile. In vitro cytotoxicity studies, genotoxicity assessments, and comprehensive animal studies all demonstrate non-toxic characteristics and excellent biocompatibility.
Strategic market positioning and expansion
With comprehensive patent protection covering 94 international patents and additional applications pending, Acro Biomedical holds a unique position in the regenerative medicine market. The company strategically focuses on high-value applications including corneal reconstruction, bone grafting, and emerging aesthetic treatments.
Taiwan’s regulatory approval provides a foundation for international expansion, though each country maintains distinct pathways for xenograft materials. The company has adopted medical tourism as an interim strategy, establishing Taiwan as a destination for patients seeking corneal transplants whilst building clinical experience for broader market penetration.
“Our vision is to solve the global shortage of tissues and organs, ensuring that every patient in need of a corneal transplant receives timely treatment,” says Dr Hsieh. “This approval is not just recognition of our technology but a beacon of hope for patients awaiting transplantation.”
Pioneering organ regeneration frontiers
Beyond current applications, the company’s research pipeline investigates processing kidneys, hearts, and various soft tissues. Early demonstrations show promise for complete organ regeneration, with kidney scaffolds regenerating functional structures within eight weeks and custom bone grafts shaped according to 3D scans enabling single-operation reconstructive procedures.
The technology’s versatility extends to innovative applications, including hair regeneration treatments, for alopecia for example, where decellularized porcine follicles are ground into particles and implanted under the skin of the head. They stimulate natural hair growth within one month of injection. “When you inject those particles under the skin, your stem cells migrate to the area and differentiate into hair follicle cells. You grow hair within one month – a lot of hair,” Dr Hsieh says.
Transforming transplantation medicine
Industry observers recognise that successful animal-to-human organ transplantation could fundamentally reshape medical practice. The virtually unlimited supply of porcine organs, combined with processing technology that eliminates rejection risks, addresses organ shortages responsible for thousands of preventable deaths annually.
The economic implications prove equally significant. With the global tissue engineering market exceeding billions annually and substantial growth projected as populations age, Acro Biomedical’s technology positions itself at the forefront of a medical revolution.
The company’s work demonstrates how innovative engineering approaches can solve fundamental biological problems. The SCCO22 technology elegantly sidesteps immunological barriers that have historically limited xenotransplantation whilst preserving biological functionality essential for successful tissue regeneration.
This breakthrough offers compelling evidence that the future of transplantation medicine may depend not on finding more human donors, but on perfecting the transformation of animal organs into human-compatible alternatives – finally providing sustainable solutions to organ shortages that have challenged medicine for decades.
Reference:
- Huang, Y. H., Tseng, F. W., Chang, W. H., Peng,
I. C., Hsieh, D. J., Wu, S. W., & Yeh, M. L. (2017). Preparation of acellular scaffold for corneal tissue engineering by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction technology. Acta Biomaterialia, 58, 238-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2017.05.060 - Chen, Y. W., Hsieh, D. J., Periasamy, S., Yen, K. C., Wang, H. C., & Chien, H. H. (2021). Development of a decellularized porcine bone graft by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction technology for bone regeneration. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, 15(5), 401-414. https://doi.org/10.1002/term.3181
- Additional news stories from Medical Taiwan 2025 will be available online at www.MiddleEastHealth.com
- For more information about the Medical Taiwan trade show, visit: https://www.medicaltaiwan.com.tw/en/index.html
