A 53-year-old woman from the US has become the longest-living recipient of a pig organ transplant, living healthily for 61 days with her new kidney.
Towana Looney, who had been on the organ transplant list for nearly eight years with little chance of finding a match, received the experimental transplant in November.
Looney had previously donated a kidney to her mother in 1999, but later developed kidney failure due to complications from pregnancy.
After her transplant, she feels revitalized, joking about outpacing her family on long walks in New York City. “It’s a new take on life,” she told the Associated Press.
She left the hospital just 11 days after surgery and is staying in New York for a month to be monitored before returning home to Alabama.
Only four other Americans have received gene-edited pig organs, but none have lived longer than two months post-surgery.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led Looney’s transplant at NYU Langone Health, noted that her kidney function is “absolutely normal.”
He explained that her successful transplant puts them in uncharted territory, as they are unsure what challenges might arise next.
“We don’t really know what the next hurdles are because this is the first time we’ve gotten this far,” he said.
Genetically modified pig organs could potentially address the critical shortage of transplant organs.
With over 7,500 people on the UK transplant waiting list and more than 100,000 in the US—many needing kidneys—Looney sees her new lease on life as a blessing.
“I feel like I’ve been given another chance,” she said, excited to travel and spend time with her family and grandchildren.
While the UK hasn’t had similar transplants, hospitals in the US are sharing insights to prepare for formal studies on xenotransplantation, expected to begin this year.
Dr. Montgomery called Looney’s case a milestone in the field, offering hope to those with kidney failure.
