2 hrs ago
Genetically Modified Pig Kidney Keeps Man Alive Nine Months
Tim Andrews had very serious kidney disease and needed a new kidney.
Doctors thought he had only a small chance of receiving a human kidney within five years.
In January last year, he received a kidney from a specially modified pig.
The kidney worked inside his body for 271 days, or about nine months.
Doctors changed 69 parts of the pig’s genes to help the organ avoid causing harm.
After the pig kidney was removed, Andrews used dialysis for 82 days.
He then received a kidney from a deceased human donor.
That kidney worked well during six months of follow-up, and doctors found no pig viruses or other pathogens.
A genetically modified pig kidney kept 66-year-old Tim Andrews alive for 271 days.
Andrews had end-stage kidney disease caused by type two diabetes and a low chance of receiving a human kidney.
Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital reported the case in The Lancet.
The pig kidney was removed in October 2025, after which Andrews underwent 82 days of dialysis.
He later received a deceased-donor human kidney, which functioned well during six months of follow-up without detected pig pathogens.
- Who
- Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease, and physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital.
- What
- A genetically modified pig kidney functioned in Andrews for a record 271 days before he received a human donor kidney.
- Where
- Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, United States.
- When
- The pig-kidney transplant took place in January last year; the kidney was removed in October 2025, followed by a human transplant in January this year.
- Why
- Andrews had only a nine per cent chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, prompting him to choose the pig-kidney transplant.
Key facts
- Patient
- Tim Andrews, age 66
- Underlying illness
- End-stage kidney disease caused by type two diabetes
- Pig-kidney function
- 271 days, or about nine months
- Genetic modifications
- The donor pig underwent 69 genomic modifications
- Dialysis period
- 82 days after removal of the pig kidney
- Follow-up human kidney
- Functioned well during six months of follow-up
- Pathogen findings
- No pig viruses or pathogens were detected
Sources
Related news
Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Bridges Patient to Human Transplant
Natco Pharma Invests Over Rs 130 Crore in eGenesis
Blood Group Mismatch No Longer Blocks Kidney Transplants
AIIMS-Delhi performs dual kidney transplant from 70-year-old donor
GITAM Hospital Visakhapatnam Secures Approval for Kidney Transplants
Hindu, Muslim women donate kidneys to each other's husbands
Ashwagandha Tablets for Anxiety Relief
Climate Heat Stress Threatens India’s Children and Elderly
India Proposes Red Front-Pack Warnings for High-Nutrient Foods
