A 53-year-old Alabama woman has received a new lease of life after receiving a gene-edited kidney obtained from a pig. Towana Looney has been living a healthy life with her new organ for more than a month after getting a transplant in New York, according to her doctors.

Looney’s kidney failure began in 1999 when he donated one of his kidneys to his ailing mother. But later, complications due to pregnancy caused an increase in blood pressure, causing damage to the remaining kidney. As of 2016, the loonie was on dialysis and was placed on kidney transplant list,

Her candidacy for a human kidney was limited because of the high probability, in her case, that her immune system would reject the donor organ. However, there was no success for eight years and Looney continued to lose blood vessels vital to supporting dialysis.

Ultimately, she qualified for the compassionate use clause of the A. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Expanded access program that included experimental use of pig kidneys.

Pig kidneys genetically edited for human transplant

Doctors said the porcine kidney that Looney received had undergone at least ten genetic edits to make it suitable for transplant into humans. The procedure, known as xenotransplantation or species-to-species transplantation, is still in its infant stages, but about 30 days after the surgery, Looney is in good health, his doctors said.

“It’s a blessing,” she said in the Langone news release. “I feel like I’ve been given another chance at life. I can’t wait to be able to travel again and spend more quality time with my family and grandchildren.”

Loonie is the third human to receive a gene-edited pig kidney

Doctors said Looney is the third human worldwide to receive a gene-edited pig kidney, and she is the only person currently living with any type of pig organ. She is the only person to receive a pig kidney with 10 different genetic edits, allowing the organ to function normally within a person.

“Tovana represents the culmination of the progress we have made in xenotransplantation since performing the first surgeries in 2021,” said Dr. Robbie Montgomery, who led the study. complex transplant operationExplains NYU Langone’s new release. “She serves as a beacon of hope for those battling kidney failure. All of the physicians, researchers, nurses, administrators and perioperative care teams at NYU Langone Health involved in making this moment possible are so thrilled for her, And I couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve done to improve Towana’s life through this incredible scientific achievement.”

About 104,000 people across the United States are currently on the waiting list, according to a Langone news release organ transplantOut of which more than 90,400 patients are waiting for a kidney.

The situation is dire for many: More than 808,000 Americans currently have end-stage kidney disease, but only 27,000 people could receive a new kidney in 2023.

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