Record pig kidney transplant

Genetically modified pig kidney keeps patient alive for a record nine months

A genetically modified kidney from a pig called Wilma has kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure alive for a record nine months, a world first. Tim Andrews was seriously ill with end-stage kidney disease and had only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, against a 40% risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list. Surgeons in the US successfully transplanted a kidney from Wilma, a Yucatan miniature pig, into Andrews after genetically engineering it to be compatible with his immune system. The kidney kept Andrews free of dialysis for a time, the longest period ever recorded, before it began failing and he received a human donor. This was also the first time a pig’s kidney had been used as a temporary “bridge” to a human transplant. The breakthrough could help millions of people whose kidneys have failed, opening the door to long waits for a kidney.