Man lived with pig kidney for nine months before human transplant
A 66-year-old man successfully lived for nine months with a genetically modified pig kidney before receiving a human transplant. This medical milestone suggests that xenotransplantation could eventually address the critical shortage of human organs for patients with kidney failure.
Why it matters
It demonstrates a potential breakthrough in solving the global organ transplant crisis by using genetically edited animal organs as a bridge for patients on long waiting lists.
Man lived with pig kidney for nine months before human transplant A genetically modified pig kidney kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure free of dialysis for a record nine months in a first-of-its-kind bridge transplant. That gives hope in a world where the number of people waiting for organ transplants exceeds the number of organs available.
According to a new report published in The Lancet , pig kidney transplants could offer a solution for patients facing long waiting times for human kidneys.
The study patient, a 66-year-old living with kidney failure caused by type 2 diabetes who had been on haemodialysis — a medical treatment that uses a special machine to filter waste products, extra fluids, and toxins from the blood when the kidneys fail — for two years before transplantation, received the pig organ in January 2025.
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