Pig kidney works in human body for 271 days - is this the future of organ transplants? - BBC
A patient successfully lived with a transplanted pig kidney for 271 days, marking a significant milestone in xenotransplantation research. While the organ eventually failed, the procedure provided a vital bridge for the patient while awaiting a human donor.
Why it matters
This breakthrough offers a potential solution to the critical global shortage of human organs available for life-saving transplants.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google James Gallagher Health and science correspondent Kate Flock/Massachusetts General Hospital Patient Tim Andrews (centre) with Dr Tatsuo Kawai (left) and Dr Leonardo Riella (right) A kidney transplanted from a pig has worked inside a patient for 271 days – the longest on record, say US doctors.
Tim Andrews said the transplant gave him "hope" and spared him months of needing to go to hospital to have his blood filtered by a dialysis machine.
The team at Mass General Brigham hospital say their work shows pig organs can be used as a "bridge" until a human transplant becomes available.
But the pig organ eventually failed and was removed so Andrews needed a short bout of dialysis before a donor was found.
Doctors and scientists are exploring xenotransplantation – using organs from other species – due to shortages of organs for transplants.
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