A pioneering medical case has captured worldwide attention as a 61‑year‑old patient spent nine months living with a kidney harvested from a genetically engineered pig. The experimental xenotransplant, performed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was intended as a bridge to a human donor organ, giving the man vital time while he remained on the transplant waiting list. Doctors reported that the pig kidney functioned effectively, with the recipient showing stable kidney markers and no severe rejection episodes, thanks to a cocktail of immunosuppressive drugs and the organ’s modified DNA that reduces immune triggers. The unprecedented duration of the graft underscores the potential of xenotransplantation to alleviate organ shortages, though researchers caution that long‑term safety and ethical considerations still require thorough investigation before such procedures become routine.
A man has lived for a record nine months with a transplanted pig kidney while waiting for a human transplant.
