Pig Kidney Works A Record 2 Months In Donated Body
September 14, 2023 12:19PM CDT
Surgeons at NYU Langone Health prepare to transplant a pig's kidney into a brain-dead man in New York on July 14, 2023. Researchers around the country are racing to learn how to use animal organs to save human lives. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)
NEW YORK (AP) — For a history-making two months, a pig’s kidney worked normally inside a brain-dead man.
And while the dramatic experiment ended this week, it’s raising hope for eventually testing pig kidneys in living patients.
Surgeons at NYU Langone Health removed the pig kidney and returned the donated body to his family for cremation.
The genetically modified kidney worked properly the first month before showing subtle signs that rejection was forming. But doctors say the kidney’s function bounced back with simple medication changes.
The lessons could help as regulators decide whether to allow clinical trials of pig organs.
