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Doctors have removed the genetically modified pig kidney implanted in an American woman after her body rejected it. However, her four months of living with the animal’s organ set a new record, according to the hospital that carried out the procedure.
Towana Looney, a woman in her fifties from Alabama, received the pig kidney on November 25 in New York as part of a highly experimental operation. The procedure had raised hopes that animal kidneys might help address the chronic shortage of human organs available for transplant.
Although her body eventually rejected the transplant, the fact that the pig kidney performed its blood-filtering functions for 130 days before rejection is seen as a significant step forward. Previously, no patient had survived with a pig kidney for more than two months.
Doctors remain optimistic, despite the setback, and Looney, who is now back on dialysis, is still a candidate to receive a human kidney if one becomes available.
In a statement from NYU Langone Hospital in New York, Looney expressed her gratitude for the care she received.
“For the first time since 2016, I was able to enjoy time with my friends and family without having to plan around dialysis treatments,” she said. She added, “Though the outcome is not what anyone wanted, I know a lot was learned from my 130 days with a pig kidney, and this can help and inspire many others.”
Looney, who had previously donated a kidney to her mother in 1999, faced kidney failure after complications from a pregnancy damaged her remaining kidney. After spending eight years on dialysis, she was eventually cleared to receive the genetically modified pig kidney when no human donor could be found.
Initially, the results were promising, but in early April, she experienced a reduction in renal function due to acute rejection. Robert Montgomery, chair of surgery and director of the hospital’s transplant institute, explained: “What triggered the rejection after a period of stability is still being investigated, but it followed a reduction in her immunosuppressive medication to treat an infection unrelated to the pig kidney.”
The immunosuppressive treatment is intended to prevent the body from attacking the transplanted organ but also makes it more vulnerable to infections.
The decision to remove the pig kidney was made in consultation with Looney, aiming to preserve future transplant opportunities. After undergoing the procedure on April 4, she recovered swiftly, was discharged five days later, and is now back home in Alabama, doing well.
