Man who received experimental pig kidney transplant now has a human organ
CNN • • health
Key Points:
- Tim Andrews, who received a genetically modified pig kidney in January 2025 and lived with it for a record 271 days, has now become the first person to receive a human kidney after xenotransplantation, marking a significant milestone in transplant medicine.
- Andrews' pig kidney transplant helped him avoid dialysis for nine months, improving his quality of life, but eventual rejection led to its removal and a return to dialysis until a human kidney became available.
- Xenotransplantation, involving genetically modified animal organs, is being explored as a potential solution to the critical shortage of human organ donors, with over 100,000 people in the US currently waiting for organs, most needing kidneys.
- Medical experts see xenotransplantation as a promising bridge
