Transplanted pig kidney works in US man for record 271 days
US doctors report a record 271-day survival of a genetically modified pig kidney in 66-year-old patient Tim Andrews, easing the organ shortage crisis.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Sixty-six-year-old kidney patient Tim Andrews received a genetically modified pig kidney transplant on January 25, 2025.
- The organ with 69 genomic edits functioned inside a human body for a record-breaking 271 days before removal in October.
- Xenotransplantation serves as a vital bridge to address the severe shortage of human organ donors in the United States.
Medical history was made as doctors at Mass General Brigham in the United States announced that a kidney transplanted from a pig operated inside a patient for a record 271 days. The breakthrough procedure spared the recipient months of arduous hospital dialysis sessions.
Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old end-stage kidney disease patient suffering from type 2 diabetes, underwent the xenotransplant surgery on January 25, 2025. He had been told it could take up to seven years to reach the top of the human donor waiting list, while dialysis patients survive on average for only five years, leaving him facing a critical time shortage.
Pigs are targeted for organ transplants due to size compatibility and farming experience, but human immune systems instantly attack foreign tissues. To overcome this, researchers utilized Yucatan miniature pigs subjected to 69 genomic modifications to humanize the organs, strip away immunogenic features, add camouflage human DNA, and disable hidden viruses.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"Hope is the biggest thing, the chance to be free from the machine and live your life."
Tim Andrews
Although the pig kidney functioned immediately, blood vessels within the organ began to sustain damage and inflammation after roughly six months, leading to its removal in October 2025. Tim subsequently required 82 days of dialysis before receiving a human donor organ in January of this year, which continues to function successfully.
Xenotransplantation represents a critical frontier in medicine aimed at alleviating the global organ shortage crisis, exemplified by 100,000 Americans waiting for kidneys against only 25,000 annual transplants. This record-breaking 271-day duration demonstrates that animal organs can effectively function as a bridge for patients awaiting human donors, though managing long-term immune responses remains a persistent challenge for medical science.
Source: BBC Health
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