US patient receives human kidney after 271 days living with pig organ
In the United States, 66-year-old Tim Andrews successfully received a human kidney transplant after living for 271 days with a kidney from a genetically modified pig. The case was described by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in a Mass General Brigham study published in The Lancet, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Record duration of organ function
Andrews had end-stage kidney disease, had no compatible living donor, and had been waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor for a long time. In 2025, he received a pig kidney transplant instead of a human one.
The organ functioned in the patient's body for 271 days without the need for dialysis. This is the longest recorded period of a pig kidney functioning after transplantation into a human. The kidney later had to be removed, after which Andrews returned to dialysis for 82 days and then underwent a human kidney transplant.
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Rejection and infection
The kidney from a genetically modified pig initially showed signs of rejection. Doctors addressed the initial symptoms with immunosuppressive therapy, but such control could only be effective for six months.
Due to a bacterial infection, doctors had to reduce the level of immunosuppression. The researchers clarified that the infection was not related to the transplant and that no pathogens were transmitted from the pig to the patient.
After the human kidney transplant, doctors found no negative impact of the previous pig organ on Andrews' ability to tolerate the new transplant. Scientists believe this case confirms that xenotransplantation may be a temporary solution for patients until a human donor organ becomes available.
