Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months
Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old patient, survived for nine months using a genetically modified pig kidney before receiving a human transplant. The procedure, performed in the US, is considered a world-first medical breakthrough for patients with kidney failure.
Why it matters
This success provides a proof-of-concept for using animal organs to sustain human life, potentially saving millions of people currently on transplant waiting lists.
Tim Andrews in his room at Massachusetts general hospital four days after receiving the genetically modified pig kidney. Photograph: Kate Flock/Massachusetts general hospital/PA Tim Andrews in his room at Massachusetts general hospital four days after receiving the genetically modified pig kidney. Photograph: Kate Flock/Massachusetts general hospital/PA Medical research Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months Organ kept Tim Andrews off dialysis and acted as a ‘bridge’ while he waited for a human transplant in the US
Prefer the Guardian on Google A genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months and successfully acted as a “bridge” to a human transplant in a world first.
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