Patient lived with world's first pig kidney transplant for nine months before getting human organ
The case suggests pig kidneys can serve as a bridge to human transplant, with 271 dialysis-free days and no evidence of sensitization after the switch.
- On Thursday, a patient at Massachusetts General Hospital reached a record-setting 285 days living with a genetically edited pig kidney without needing dialysis. Cambridge-based biotech company eGenesis confirmed the organ, modified using Crispr gene editing, remains fully functional.
- Dr. Leonardo Riella, medical director for kidney transplantation at Mass General Brigham, views xenotransplantation as a temporary "bridge" to help patients avoid dialysis. The procedure addresses a critical shortage: more than 95,000 Americans currently wait for a human kidney.
- Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old from New Hampshire, previously held the record at 271 days with a pig kidney. Andrews called the transplant a "miracle" that gave him "hope," though he later needed dialysis before receiving a human donor organ.
- A study published in The Lancet identified that Andrews' pig kidney failed due to thrombotic microangiopathy—tiny blood clots in the organ. Doctors are adjusting immunosuppressant medications and refining protocols based on these findings to improve outcomes for future recipients.
- The FDA has authorized eGenesis to conduct formal trials in up to 33 patients with kidney failure beginning in 2027. Researchers aim to establish pig-to-human transplantation as a long-term destination therapy, not merely a temporary bridge.
185 Articles
185 Articles
Tim Andrews underwent a pig transplant in 2025 and was able to survive 8 months without dialysis until waiting for a donor
A study published by The Lancet gives an account of the details of the case.
In the USA, pig kidneys were successfully transplanted into humans — in three out of five patients, the organs worked for more than eight months without rejection
In the USA, pig kidneys were successfully transplanted into humans — in three out of five patients, the organs worked for more than eight months without rejection.This is the result of an experiment by a Massachusetts General Hospital and an...
Pig kidney works for a record 271 days inside the body of American patient
A New Hampshire man, at death’s door 1 ½ years ago, said Friday he could now have “decades” left after surviving a record 271 days with a transplanted pig kidney — in a procedure that could offer new hope to countless other patients.
Pig kidney keeps man alive for nine months
A genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a “bridge” to a human transplant in a world first.Tim Andrews was seriously ill with end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes and ha
NBC Chicago
Pig kidney works for a record 271 days inside the body of surviving American
For patients, using pig kidneys could help buy them enough time to find a human donor.
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