According to federal statistics, more than 103,000 people are presently waiting for organ transplants, with 17 people dying every day. Kidneys are the most in-demand organ. Surgeons at NYU Langone Health Hospital in New York City have transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a living person for the first time. Last month, Towana Looney, a 53-year-old grandmother from Alabama, became the first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney, developed using the eGenesis process.
Looney donated one kidney to her mother in 1999. After a few years, she was diagnosed with hypertension during her pregnancy. Since 2016 she struggled with kidney failure. Then she has been receiving dialysis procedures for four hours every day, three days a week, since that time. Her immune system would reject a human kidney, therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an exception to its standard clinical study requirements, permitting her to receive a genetically modified pig kidney designed to be compatible with her body. But using pig organs is still highly experimental, doctors think it’s her only option. Similar transplants, such as pig hearts in Maryland and pig kidneys in New York and Boston, were previously approved by the FDA. These transplants showed promise but only lasted a few weeks or months in seriously ill patients. Â
Looney is healthier now, thanks to a one-in-a-million match that she was hoping for. ‘Everything is operating efficiently, and our team is amazing,’ says Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute and lead surgeon for Looney’s transplant.
Looney states, “We’re going to make history today and it’s going to change my life” just before the nurses admit her for the lengthy transplant procedure.
The humanized pig organ was obtained from a genetically engineered Yucatan small pig, which had 69 gene edits aimed at improving compatibility between the pig graft and its human recipient. A total of 3 steps are involved in genomic modifications. The first process is the prevention of acute rejection by the knockout of three genes contained in glycan antigen synthesis. The second process is the regulation of immunity, coagulation, and complement pathways by the insertion of seven human transgenes. The last process is preventing transmission and integration into the recipient’s genome by inactivation of porcine endogenous retroviruses.
Dr. Robert Montgomery says it has the potential to completely transform the management of organ failure. It could change everything and revolutionize medicine.
Looney studied various experimental treatments before this, but none were successful. Her longtime physician, Locke says “It’s been a long journey for her.”
Some are concerned that pig organs could transmit viruses to humans, potentially triggering another pandemic. Others feel uncomfortable with the idea of using animals for their organs. There are also concerns about conducting experiments on patients who are at high risk. Surgeons say to be taking especially precautions to prevent the spread of pig viruses like testing each person in the operating room before surgery and again in four months to ensure they haven’t developed porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV).
Johnson says it’s difficult to predict the public health effects if a pig virus spreads from human to human. There’s a lot of concern about pigs being infected with bird flu (H5N1), and with xenotransplantation, the risks increase because we’re potentially introducing an organ that carries a virus into an immunosuppressed patient.
Looney’s doctors found a blood clot in the kidney after she was discharged but were able to flush it out with the fluids. She stayed in the hospital for a few days so doctors could administer additional anti-rejection medication.
Finally, Looney has recovered much better than expected. She was discharged from the hospital less than two weeks after the surgery. Looney says I feel fantastic, like a completely new person and a second chance at life. She enjoys cooking, eating, drinking, long walks, and exploring New York. However, she is being cautious by avoiding crowds and wearing a mask to protect herself from infections.
Update (April 2025): The patient’s condition has changed. Read the latest update on the organ rejection here.
Reference:
- Nicoletta Lanese. She was waiting for a 1-in-a-million match’: Alabama woman is the 3rd patient to ever get a pig kidney. Live science blog. December 17, 2024. Accessed from ‘She was waiting for a 1-in-a-million match’: Alabama woman is the 3rd patient to ever get a pig kidney | Live Science
- Rob Stein. NYU Langone Health in the News—Tuesday, December 17, 2024. NPR blog. December 17, 2024. Accessed from Surgeons transplant a genetically modified pig kidney into a human : Shots – Health News : NPR
