In the US, a patient lived with a pig kidney for 9 months, then a human kidney was transplanted into them (photo)

In the US, a patient lived with a pig kidney for 9 months, then was transplanted with a human kidney (photo)

In the US, a patient lived with a genetically modified pig kidney for nine months for the first time in the world. Then, a human kidney was successfully transplanted into him. The New York Times reported on this.

Tim Andrews was 66 years old at the time of the experimental surgery. He suffered from hypertension and diabetes. Due to his rare blood type, the probability of finding a matching donor kidney for him was very low.

In January 2025, Andrews agreed to an experimental transplant of a kidney from a genetically modified pig.

The pig kidney functioned for 271 days and freed Andrews from dialysis. The kidney kept his blood clean. After the surgery, the patient's appetite and muscle mass were also restored.

Later, the organ had to be removed because blood clots formed in the kidney's blood vessels.

In January 2026, Andrews was transplanted with a matching human donor kidney. His case showed that having previously received a pig kidney did not prevent a subsequent human kidney transplant.

A total of five patients have received pig kidneys created by the biotechnology company eGenesis under a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) program.

Three of them lived with such kidneys for more than eight months. Doctors view this technology as a method that could serve as a temporary "bridge" for patients waiting for a human donor.

Earlier, Chinese scientists successfully performed the world's first transplant of a pig liver and kidneys into a brain-dead human.

A scientific team led by doctors at the Second Hospital affiliated with Guangxi Medical University performed this surgery on a 53-year-old man. After that, the transplanted organs functioned normally for another five days. However, the study was concluded at the request of the patient's family.