Pig Kidney Xenotransplant Successfully Bridges Patient with End-Stage Kidney Disease to Human Transplant
- 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.
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"The shortage of organs is the biggest crisis we currently face in the field of transplants"
For the first time in the world, a man has managed to live nine months without dialysis, thanks to the transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney. Tim Andrews suffered from severe end-stage kidney disease, which had been caused by type 2 diabetes. The odds of receiving a human kidney within five years were just 9%, while the risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list exceeded 40%. Surgeons in the US successfully transplanted Andr…
Pig kidneys offer new hope that animal organs can be used for humans.
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Pig kidney transplant helps US man avoid dialysis for nine months
A genetically modified pig kidney functioned in a US man for 271 days, setting a new record and offering hope for xenotransplantation patients. Read More: https://punchng.com/pig-kidney-transplant-helps-us-man-avoid-dialysis-for-nine-months/
The organ kept Tim Andrews alive without the need for dialysis and served as a temporary solution until a human transplant could be found in the U.S.
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