Pig kidney removed from man after a record 271 days
A man who lived with a genetically modified pig kidney for a record 271 days had the organ removed and will return to dialysis.
Tim Andrews of New Hampshire received the transplant in January, but surgeons at Mass General Brigham removed the organ Thursday because of a decline in kidney function.
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Andrews, 67, was the fourth living patient in the US to get a kidney transplant from a pig that had been genetically modified to help prevent organ rejection and other complications.
Andrews, who had had diabetes since the 1990s, learned about three years ago that he had end-stage kidney disease. Dialysis saved his life, but the process was draining: He was connected to the machines for six hours, three days a week. On days off, he’d sleep. By the time he woke up, he’d have to start the process all over again.
Andrews knew it was risky to try a xenotransplant – transplanting an animal organ into a human – but he said that if it could keep him off dialysis and help other people with kidney problems, it was worth it.
In the CNN documentary “Dr Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm,” he told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta that the pig kidney left him feeling re-energised and revitalised.
A miracle
“I was alive, and I hadn’t been in a long time,” Andrews said, calling the transplant “a miracle.”
With the pig kidney, he said he was slowly rebuilding his life. He has been able to cook, vacuum and take long walks with his dog Cupcake. In June, he was even able to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park and cheer on his beloved Boston Red Sox.
“I had the honour of meeting Tim earlier this year, and his positivity and energy were unwavering,” Gupta said Monday. “He was so committed to the idea of his transplant experience furthering our understanding of xenotransplant and helping patients like himself. His willingness to undergo this procedure and be part of medical history now will no doubt be felt by the thousands of future patients with kidney failure. He is a true pioneer.”
With the help of a pig kidney, Tim Andrews was strong enough to throw out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game in June. WCVB
In a statement Monday, Mass General Brigham called Andrews a “selfless medical pioneer and an inspiration to patients with kidney failure around the world.”
Andrews posted on Facebook on Saturday that “this was a punishing journey filled with unknowns and surprises.” He added that “there were experimental drugs that had some unexpected side effects,” but for the nine months he was able to live with the pig kidney, he said, “I am proud of everything we discovered, learned and experienced.”
Andrews also expressed his gratitude to the pig who gave him the time off from dialysis, calling her “my hero.”
“What a warrior she became, helping fight through several ‘bumps in the road,’ ” he wrote. “Wilma, the genetically edited pig, is a major part of this medical breakthrough and a major part of my soul as long as I live. I LOVE YO,U WILMA! Donate a Kidney and be a HERO!”
In November 2024, doctors at NYU gave 53-year-old Towana Looney a genetically modified pig kidney that functioned for four months and nine days. They had to remove it in April when her immune system started to reject it.
Mass General Brigham said it will do another pig-to-human kidney transplant later this year.
