Doctors announced on Friday that they removed a pig kidney from an Alabama woman on April 4 after her body began to reject it, prompting her to resume dialysis treatment. Looney recovered well and resumed dialysis after being discharged from the hospital. She expressed her gratitude toward her medical personnel and said she was proud to participate in research that offered hope for future treatment of others.
The surgery was performed as a major part of studies focused on xenotransplantation, which involves the use of animal organs for human applications. The medical team is currently using Looney’s case to improve understanding of how pig kidneys function in humans and develop safer rejection prevention methods.
The short-lived results of the transplant were significant because they proved that pig kidneys could function as temporary organs. More than 100,000 individuals in the U.S. need organ transplants, but kidney replacement is their primary necessity.
Too many patients passed away without receiving a necessary transplant. Scientists continue their search for innovative transplantation solutions that involve animal organs due to the demanding needs of organ recipients.
Before Looney’s case, four other Americans had received pig organ transplants (two hearts and two kidneys), but those patients died within two months due to preexisting critical illnesses.
Looney maintained better health during the trial, which increased the duration of the pig kidney’s functionality. She has received dialysis since 2016 because her body would have rejected a human kidney. Looney experienced remarkable success initially with the operation. Her body initiated rejection processes against the organ during the first days of April.
Doctors explained that kidney removal was safer for Looney than increasing anti-rejection medication doses because stronger treatments would have resulted in additional damage. Despite failing to provide long-term benefits, the transplant allowed Looney to avoid dialysis while experiencing an extension of her life quality for several months. Medical professionals believe that rejection occurred because of both a minor infection and decreased levels of immune-modulating drugs. Medical experts face significant challenges when treating animal-to-human transplant patients because a suitable drug combination remains unknown.
Research into xenotransplantation medicine will benefit from insights derived from the Looney case. Another patient from New Hampshire who received a pig kidney transplant has shown stable health. Around the world, scientists, especially in China, continue their work on similar medical procedures. The present research is expected to develop through successive breakthroughs, and each procedure provides useful insights.
This update follows the groundbreaking transplant surgery reported in December 2024. Catch up on the original story here.
References: Neergaard L. Doctors remove pig kidney from an Alabama woman after a record 130 days. The Canadian Press. Published April 11, 2025. Accessed April 15, 2025. Doctors remove a pig kidney from an Alabama woman after a record 130 days
