Pig Kidney Transplant: For 271 days, Tim Andrews lived with a genetically modified pig’s kidney working inside his body, and was free from dialysis for almost nine months. The kidney eventually failed and had to be removed. But by then, it had accomplished what doctors had hoped xenotransplantation would eventually do, keeping a patient alive and off dialysis so he could receive a human organ. The fourth person in the world who… Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said that Andrews’ case is the record for the longest time for a genetically modified pig kidney to function inside a living person. This case has been published in The Lancet.
The hospital said Andrews became the fourth person in the world to receive a genetically edited pig kidney and the second living recipient to be treated by its team. What’s more, this case is the first reported case of a pig kidney being used as a temporary “bridge” before a patient receives a human kidney.
What was the disease?
66-year-old Andrews from Concord, New Hampshire had end-stage kidney disease related to type-2 diabetes. His chances of getting a human kidney were slim. The Guardian reported that Andrews had only a 9 percent chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, while his risk of dying or being removed from the transplant waiting list was more than 40 percent. The BBC reported that doctors had warned him he might have to wait up to seven years for a transplant. Teachers Day Wishes: ‘Behind every success is the hand of a Guru…’ Share this emotional message on Teachers Day