Key points from article :
Doctors at NYU Langone Health transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into Towana Looney, a 54-year-old woman from Alabama, who lived with it for 130 days—the longest any human has done so with a pig organ.
Looney, who has lived with kidney failure since 2016, had been on dialysis and was not a good candidate for a human kidney due to her immune system’s response history. She volunteered for this experimental procedure in November to help advance organ transplant research.
Her doctors removed the pig kidney after signs of rejection and possible infection, which might have been caused by lowering her anti-rejection medication following complications. She’s now back on dialysis but says she’s grateful for the four-month break it gave her.
This procedure is part of xenotransplantation, an experimental field aiming to use animal organs to address the severe human organ shortage—13 Americans die daily waiting for transplants. The National Kidney Foundation warns animal organs may carry extra risks like infection and incomplete function.
Only a few people have received pig organs so far, and none had survived this long with one. Looney’s case marks a milestone and will inform upcoming clinical trials meant to improve future outcomes.
The research was carried out by Dr. Robert Montgomery and his team at NYU Langone and highlights that steady, cautious steps—rather than big leaps—are the path forward in making animal-to-human transplants safer.
