New Hampshire man successfully receives Pig kidney in groundbreaking transplant
A 66-year-old man, Tim Andrews, has successfully undergone a pig kidney transplant, becoming the second person to do so.
A 66-year-old man from New Hampshire, Tim Andrews, has become the second person known to live with a pig kidney transplant. After months of preparation to qualify for a pilot study, Andrews received the highly experimental pig kidney on January 25, and just a week later, he left Massachusetts General Hospital.
Tim Andrews becomes second person known to be living with a pig kidney
According to AP, Andrews is now free from dialysis and recovering well, which marks a massive achievement in the field of animal-to-human transplants.
Andrews had been struggling with kidney failure for the past two years, and despite being on the transplant list, the wait for a matching kidney could take seven years or more. With dialysis complications and heart issues, his chances of survival were slim. Determined to find an alternative, he volunteered for the experimental pig kidney transplant. Andrews underwent extensive physical therapy to improve his fitness, losing 30 pounds and becoming healthier, which helped him qualify for the transplant.
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“When I woke up in the recovery room, I was a new man,” Andrews told The Associated Press.
Upon receiving the pig kidney, doctors were pleased to see that it began working immediately, producing urine and performing normal kidney functions with no signs of rejection. Andrews, who had been struggling with diabetes and dialysis complications, is now feeling much better.
A turning point in Xenotransplantation
While previous experiments had seen mixed results, including short-lived transplants, the latest developments in gene editing have made animal organs more compatible with the human body. Andrews' recovery is helping to fuel hope for the future of xenotransplantation, particularly for patients who have little chance of surviving a human kidney transplant due to their poor health.
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Doctors at Massachusetts General are hopeful that this success could lead to more formal studies and eventual clinical trials. Other hospitals are also joining the effort, including NYU Langone Health, which conducted the fifth successful pig kidney transplant in November, where the patient is still doing better.
Future of Xenotransplantation and hope for patients
With more than 100,000 people on the U.S. transplant list, many of whom need kidneys, xenotransplantation could potentially save thousands of lives.
Although it's still early to predict the long-term results of Andrews' transplant, he remains optimistic and eager to spread the message of hope to others facing kidney failure.