A 66-year-old man recently became the 4th recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney in the United States. A team of surgeons performed the transplant in late January at the Massachusetts General Hospital. This operation is part of an FDA-approved clinical trial examining whether organs harvested from genetically modified pigs can remain functioning in human patients long-term. This is the story of their latest attempt to transplant a genetically modified pig kidney and other related surgeries carried out recently.
Tim Andrews’ Story
For two years before the operation, Tim Andrews, the recipient of the pig kidney, was on dialysis. Tim had a heart attack soon after starting dialysis and the long treatments he had to endure three times a week left him feeling completely exhausted and nauseous. He was already wheelchair-bound by the time he met with doctors to start discussing a potential transplant. The doctors told Tim that he would first need to get in better physical shape before they could perform surgery. Tim started receiving physical therapy and was eventually able to start walking again. He then underwent the genetically modified pig kidney transplant surgery and was discharged after just a week of recovery. He later remarked that he suddenly had “an energy machine pouring into me.. It’s like a new engine”.
Tim Andrews’ previously dire situation is not unique, and more than 100,000 Americans are presently waiting for organ transplants. The majority of these individuals need kidney transplants. Even if transplanting genetically modified pig kidneys proves effective, there are still many questions regarding insurance coverage and cost that need to be addressed. Many patients rely on Medicare as they are not fit to work, yet it remains unknown whether private and public insurance companies will cover these types of transplants. At the moment, there is a serious shortage of organs from human donors. This means that many individuals end up dying before managing to find a donor. This is why several companies are presently modifying pigs’ genes in the hopes that they can produce organs that the human body doesn’t reject.
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Previous Genetically Modified Pig Kidney Transplants
Tim Andrew’s kidney was harvested from a pig with 69 edits to its genes, most of which were edited to reduce viral infection risk. However, this is not the only clinical trial involving modified pigs – in fact, it is the 4th to recently be carried out. Another organ recipient, Towana Looney from Alabama, is also recovering well after receiving her transplant in November 2024. Unfortunately, two earlier recipients passed away while recovering from their surgeries. The first person to receive the transplant was Rick Slayman from Massachusetts. Rick had been living with hypertension and type 2 diabetes for many years and a previous kidney transplant from a human donor had failed.
He subsequently experienced several dialysis-related complications and was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. He became the world’s first patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney in March 2024. Unfortunately, passed away two months after the surgery. The second person to receive the transplant was Lisa Piano, who underwent surgery in April 2024. Unfortunately, she passed away in July of the same year. In May of 2924, the kidney had to be removed as it was damaged and kidney dialysis had to be resumed. Lisa was then entered into hospice care where she eventually passed away.
The Bottom Line
This technology offers great promise, but there are still many limitations and challenges facing researchers in this field. Despite all of the challenges facing doctors and surgeons, they continue to learn from every operation. They hope to eventually produce genetically edited organs that will be a long-term and effective solution for patients. While they may yet still be far from achieving this goal, every operation brings them one step closer. They hope to eventually improve the quality of life for thousands of people wiating for kidney transplants and living in pain. The success of Tim Andrews’ transplant represents a significant step forward in addressing the human organ donor shortage crisis. If these advances continue steadily, it won’t be long before we have affordable and accessible solutions to this crisis.
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