Pig kidney successfully transplanted for the first time in humans

Surgeons in New York have successfully placed a genetically modified pig kidney into a human patient, U.S. media reported. At first glance, the transplanted organ was functioning normally.

 

The long-term consequences of the transplant are still unknown. The brain-dead patient, into whom the organ was transplanted, was followed for only 54 hours. Despite this, medical experts said the procedure was an important step. We need to know more about the longevity of the organ, Dorry Segev, a professor of transplant surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told The New York Times, for example. This is a huge breakthrough!

 

Doctors and scientists involved in this first expect that the successful transplant will allow for a huge stockpile of pig donor organs in the future. In addition to kidneys, this could also be hearts, livers and other organs. The results of the transplant have not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal.