The patient was in kidney failure and her immune system would reject a human organ. Scientists hope genetically modified pig organs prove safe and will alleviate the organ shortage and save lives.
A surgical team at NYU Langone Health hospital, including Dr. Robert Montgomery , transplants a kidney from a genetically modified pig into patient Towana Looney, who's been on dialysis since 2016.
"It's a really big day. She's a true pioneer," says Dr. Jayme Locke. She was Looney's doctor before moving from the University of Alabama at Birmingham to NYU. She's assisting Montgomery today.As the anesthesiologist puts Looney to sleep, Montgomery and his team get ready for the long, complicated operation.
The team then starts another long, delicate task: preparing the pig kidneys for implantation. That involves meticulously separating the kidneys, removing fat and locating the necessary veins and arteries.Finally, one of the kidneys is ready.They gingerly carry the grayish-purple kidney to Looney on the operating table and start attaching it.
"Here we go," Montgomery says, prompting another round of cheers and applause as urine starts gushing out."Look at that. That is great. Look at that. Beautiful. Gorgeous. It's just pouring out. I'm going to have wet socks tonight," Montgomery says, laughing, as urine splashes him.David Ayers , chief science officers at Revivicor, of Blacksburg, Va.
He says the company is taking extra precautions to prevent the organs from spreading any pig viruses to people. For example, everyone in the operating room was tested before surgery and will be again in four months to make sure they didn't catch a pig virus known as Critics say a careful study is needed to rigorously evaluate the pig kidneys instead of performing these surgeries one-by-one under different conditions."I do have some concerns about the possibility of misinterpreting the results of these experiments. They are not research trials and are not intended to generate generalizable evidence," he says.
Johnson is also skeptical that the company is doing enough to prevent the spread of pig viruses to people. There was evidence one of the pig heart recipients got infected with a pig virus called porcine cytomegalovirus. She's enjoying cooking, being able to eat and drink a wider variety of foods and beverages, and exploring New York, although she's being careful to avoid crowds and wears a mask. She's taking medication to reduce her risk of rejecting the kidney, making her vulnerable to infections.
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