Doctors successfully transplant pig kidney to human recipient – CBS Denver

NEW YORK (CBSNew York) – In an amazing medical breakthrough, NYU doctors have successfully used a pig kidney for a human recipient. Experts believe this could mean that the thousands of people on kidney transplant waiting lists may one day have a new option.

“The sad truth is that nearly half of the people who are waiting for a transplant are going to get too sick or die before an organ is available,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery of NYU Langone Health.

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It’s the driving force behind Dr. Montgomery’s quest to expand the pool of organs suitable for transplantation – the need will always exceed the demand.

Less than a month ago, NYU surgeons transplanted a pig kidney into the body of a brain-dead recipient whose family consented to the experiment.

Within minutes, the kidney functioned like a human for 54 hours. He was producing urine and showing no signs of rejection.

In order to avoid rejection, the kidney comes from a herd of pigs that have been genetically modified to eliminate a gene that makes a tissue marker on all animal cells that triggers massive and immediate hyper-rejection in humans.

But why the pigs?

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” They are numerous. They are used as a food supply. They’re used for pharmaceuticals and… valve replacements, ”said Dr. Montgomery.

Pork organs are also similar in size to human organs.

Bioethicists and religious leaders were consulted about the transplant and they felt the trial was ethical.

Another wrinkle with this transplant is that Dr. Montgomery just celebrated the third anniversary of his own heart transplant. He suffers from a genetic disease that devastated his family.

“I took the life of my father at a young age and my brother at 35, and I have another brother who has had a heart transplant… It is a passion for me for many reasons,” he said. he declared.

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Dr Montgomery said the next steps are to repeat the procedure once or twice and then move quickly to a full human transplant – which could happen in a year or two, he said.