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.
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.
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? 
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 
️.
! I was reading about this on Reddit and my mind went straight to school healthcare 
. 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? 
69 edits = 1 life saved 
(Note to self: use fewer words)
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...
, what do u think about this pig kidney transplant? Should we be like "oh yeah, let's try a pig heart transplant too"? 
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. That means there are millions of people waitin' for a transplant and the average wait time is around 3-5 years 
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. We're talkin' about savin' thousands of lives and improvin' the quality of life for people who've been waitin' for years 
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. We've got six people now on the list after receiving pig kidneys, and that's a great start! 
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. Fingers crossed!