Breakthrough in Xenotransplantation: Completion of the World's Third Genetically Edited Pig Kidney Transplant in Humans

On December 17, 2024, a medical team from NYU Langone Health in New York City announced the successful transplantation of a genetically edited pig kidney into a living human for the third time. According to a press release, this is the latest breakthrough in xenotransplantation, which is considered a method to address the organ supply crisis.

Information disclosed by NYU Langone Health revealed that the recipient of the genetically edited pig kidney is a 53-year-old woman named Towana Looney. In 1999, she donated a kidney to her mother, but complications during pregnancy later led to destructive hypertension causing her kidney failure. Since December 2016, she required dialysis treatment to remove excess fluid and waste from her blood. In 2017, she was placed on the kidney transplant waiting list. However, high levels of harmful antibodies in her blood posed a risk of transplant rejection, making it nearly impossible to find a suitable matching kidney. After nearly eight years on the waiting list, she lost the veins that supported dialysis.

Given these circumstances, Looney received a 'compassionate use' permit from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S., which allows the use of investigational medical products outside clinical trials when a patient is facing a life-threatening condition. On November 25, 2024, surgeons at NYU Langone performed a seven-hour surgery, implanting a genetically edited pig kidney into her body.

The pig kidney was developed by Revivicor, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics, a U.S. biotechnology company. It underwent ten genetic modifications to eliminate three immunogenic antigens and a pig growth hormone receptor, while six human transgenes were introduced to make the pig kidney more similar to a human kidney and reduce the risk of immune rejection.

After an 11-day postoperative observation period by the team at the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, Looney was discharged on December 6, freed from dialysis, and now resides in an apartment in New York City. She is equipped with a wearable tracker that transmits heart rate, blood pressure, and other health data back to her medical team. Additionally, she needs to visit the hospital daily for face-to-face evaluations and is expected to return to her home in Alabama within three months.

"I am extremely happy. I am fortunate to receive this gift—a second chance at life. I am energized and have an appetite I had not experienced in eight years. I can feel the blood flowing in my veins. I can place my hand on this kidney and feel it buzzing; it is so strong," Looney stated during a press conference on December 17.

This marks the third time in the history of xenotransplantation that a kidney transplant has been performed using a kidney from a genetically edited pig. Robert Montgomery, the director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, commented in an interview, “This gives us more understanding as we anticipate clinical trials, which can include patients who are in relatively good overall health.”