A kidney transplanted from a pig has functioned inside a patient for 271 days, marking the longest duration on record, according to doctors at Mass General Brigham hospital in the United States. The patient, Tim Andrews, stated that the transplant provided him with hope and reduced his need for dialysis treatments. The transplant was intended to serve as a temporary solution until a human donor kidney became available. Although the pig organ eventually failed and was removed, Andrews was able to receive a human kidney after a short period of dialysis.
The use of pig organs, known as xenotransplantation, is being explored due to the shortage of human organs for transplant. In the U.S., approximately 100,000 individuals are on the waiting list for a kidney, while only about 25,000 transplants are performed annually. In the UK, over 7,000 people are awaiting kidney transplants.
Andrews, who was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease due to type 2 diabetes, underwent the xenotransplant on January 25, 2025, at the age of 66. The genetically modified pig kidney was connected to his blood vessels, allowing it to filter blood. The kidney functioned well initially but showed signs of rejection after six months, leading to inflammation and eventual failure.
Dr. Leonardo Riella from the center for transplantation sciences at Mass General Brigham noted the ongoing organ shortage and expressed optimism that xenotransplantation could provide an alternative for patients lacking living donors. The case highlights both the potential and the challenges of clinical kidney xenotransplantation, as detailed in a recent publication in the Lancet medical journal.