Man lives nine months with pig kidney before human transplant
American patient Tim Andrews lived for nine months with a genetically modified pig kidney before receiving a human donor kidney, marking the first time a pig organ served as a successful temporary bridge to human transplantation.
Consensus
- Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old American, lived with a genetically modified pig kidney for 271 days.
- The pig kidney functioned long enough to eliminate the need for dialysis.
- After the pig kidney failed due to blood clots, Andrews received a human kidney in January 2026.
- The prior pig kidney transplant did not increase the risk of rejection for the subsequent human kidney transplant.
- Andrews had a rare blood type, making it extremely difficult to find a human donor.
- The procedure was experimental and conducted under FDA-approved protocols.
- The case is considered unique and significant for the field of xenotransplantation.
Points of divergence
- The pig kidney underwent 69 genetic modifications to prevent rejection. — vesti
- The patient was on dialysis again after the pig kidney was removed, before receiving the human kidney. — fontanka
- Five patients received pig kidneys under the FDA program, with Andrews being one of them. — vm
- The operation gave the patient 'hope' and freed him from months of hospitalization for dialysis. — tg_bbcrussian
Coverage (4 sources)
- Pork kidney saved the life of an American suffering from hypertension and diabetes — Вести
- Person first went nine months with a pig kidney — Фонтанка
- In the US, a pig kidney transplanted into a human worked for a record nine months — BBC News Русская служба
- Patient first lived nine months with a pig kidney before transplanting a human organ — Вечерняя Москва