Man Has Pig Kidney Removed After Living With It for a Record 9 Months

Pig Kidney Transplant Paves the Way for Human Organ Shortage Solution

A groundbreaking medical breakthrough has taken place at Massachusetts General Hospital, where surgeons have successfully removed a genetically engineered pig kidney from a 67-year-old New Hampshire man after nearly nine months of functioning in his body. The transplant was a major milestone in the quest to address the severe shortage of human donor organs.

Tim Andrews, who received the pig kidney on January 25, had been undergoing dialysis for over two years due to end-stage kidney disease. His rare blood type meant that he faced an extended wait time for a human donor kidney, with most patients waiting around three to five years. The pig kidney functioned as expected for several months, but eventually failed due to organ rejection.

According to Leonardo Riella, medical director for kidney transplantation at Massachusetts General Hospital, the team was able to successfully treat the rejection and keep the kidney functioning for an extended period. Andrews is now resuming dialysis and remains on the list for a human donor kidney.

The pig kidney transplant was made possible through genetic editing technology, which has been used to modify the organs of pigs to make them more compatible with the human body. The company eGenesis provided the genetically edited pig kidney used in the procedure, which had 69 edits.

This pioneering procedure marks an important step forward in addressing the shortage of human donor organs, with scientists actively debating the optimal number of gene edits needed to keep pig organs functioning in the human body. With six people now known to have received pig kidneys, including two patients who underwent genetically edited pig heart transplants at the University of Maryland last year but unfortunately did not survive, the future of cross-species transplantation looks promising.

Massachusetts General Hospital plans to carry out another genetically edited pig kidney transplant before the end of the year, further solidifying its position as a leader in this innovative area of medical research.

you know what's wild... I just got back from the most random road trip with my friends and we stumbled upon this amazing little diner that serves the best burgers ever ! like, it was one of those places where you walk in and everyone knows your name . anyway, back to pig kidneys... I guess this is a pretty cool breakthrough, but have you ever noticed how some foods just taste better when they're not too 'human' ? like, take a good ol' fashioned pig snout - it's all wrong, right?

I'm low-key excited that pigs can now be used as kidneys for humans... I mean who needs human donors when you have pigs willing to be like "Hey, take my kidney, it's all good!" But seriously, this is a huge step forward in addressing the organ shortage. I guess we're going to have some pig friends making sacrifices for us now? At least their sacrifice can still be used in bacon... just kidding, kind of ️.

This is so cool ! I was reading about this on Reddit and my mind went straight to school healthcare . Imagine if we could use xenotransplantation technology to solve organ shortages at our hospitals! It's like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it's real life now . The fact that pigs can be genetically edited to match human organs is just mind-blowing . I wonder if this tech could be applied to other areas of medicine, like regenerative biology or tissue engineering?

[Image of a pig's face with a smile and a superhero cape]

Organ donors: 0, Pigs: 1... Wait, who needs humans when pigs can do the job?

69 edits = 1 life saved (Note to self: use fewer words)

This whole thing got me thinking... what does it mean for us when our bodies can be replaced with an organ from another species? It's like we're raising questions about the nature of self and identity... if we're not even fully ourselves because our organs are being replaced, then what makes us human? And is this really a solution to the shortage of human donor organs or just delaying the inevitable need for something more radical? The more I think about it, the more I'm reminded that true innovation often challenges our deepest assumptions...

Wow , can you believe they're working on pigs now? Like, literally using them to solve our human organ shortage problem . It's crazy how far genetic editing tech has come. I mean, 69 edits is wild! Interesting , what do u think about this pig kidney transplant? Should we be like "oh yeah, let's try a pig heart transplant too"?

omg u wont believe wut just happnd!!! they did a pig kidney trasplant on a human & it worked!!! tim andrews got the kidie 9 months ago n it held up pretty well but eventually failed. now hes back on dialysis lol its like a step in the rite direction tho, we dont have enuf human donor organs 4 ppl in need. next stop is gonna b another trasplant @ mass gen hospital n hopefully they get it right this time

I'm surprised they didn't mention that the patient's blood type is only one of many factors that can affect compatibility with human donor kidneys... like his age, overall health, and other pre-existing conditions . I mean, it's great that this pig kidney transplant worked out in the end, but we need to consider all these variables when discussing the effectiveness of cross-species transplantation. And 69 edits? That's a lot! Do they really think more is better?

I cant believe how far we've fallen since the good ol' days of dialysis machines in hospitals... I mean, what's next? We're gonna be relying on genetically modified organs from pigs? It's like something out of a sci-fi movie! And yet, at the same time, it's kinda amazing to see how far medical science has come. Remember when your uncle or cousin would have to wait for years for an organ transplant? Now we've got pigs... I mean, genetically edited pigs... who would've thought? Anyway, it's a big step forward in addressing the shortage of human donor organs, and I'm curious to see how this technology develops. Still, sometimes I wonder if we're sacrificing something essential about what makes us human by relying on these kinds of innovations...

I'm hyped about this breakthrough ! The stats are insane - we're talkin' 67-year-old man gettin' a new kidney from a pig that's been in his body for almost 9 months . The rejection rate was around 10% which is pretty impressive considering the long-term effects of transplanting animal organs into humans .

But let's look at some numbers, shall we? According to the CDC, there were over 121k organ transplants in the US last year alone... but only about 30k came from deceased donors . That means there are millions of people waitin' for a transplant and the average wait time is around 3-5 years .

Now, I know some folks might be thinkin', "But what about the ethics?" And I get it, these are complex issues... but let's focus on the positives here . We're talkin' about savin' thousands of lives and improvin' the quality of life for people who've been waitin' for years .

According to eGenesis, their genetically edited pig kidney had 69 edits which is a significant improvement over previous attempts . And with another transplant planned at Massachusetts General Hospital later this year, we can expect to see some major breakthroughs in the next few years .

The future of cross-species transplantation looks bright and I'm excited to see where this tech takes us !

I gotta say ... I'm feeling pretty hopeful about this whole pig kidney thing! I mean, we've been waiting for a solution to our human organ shortage problem for ages, and it's amazing to see scientists making progress . The fact that Tim Andrews was able to get a pig kidney working for almost a year without major issues is huge .

I think the key here is not just about making the pig kidneys compatible with humans, but also understanding what the optimal number of gene edits is . We've got six people now on the list after receiving pig kidneys, and that's a great start! The fact that Massachusetts General Hospital is already planning to do another transplant before the year ends shows they're committed to this research .

I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit skeptical about this whole idea at first , but now I'm all for it! Who knows, maybe one day we'll have a steady supply of organs to spare . Fingers crossed!