A groundbreaking surgery took place at NYU Langone Health, marking the first time a genetically modified pig kidney was transplanted into a human patient. This procedure holds immense potential for alleviating the critical organ shortage and saving countless lives.
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.
NEW YORK – Towana Looney can hardly contain her anticipation as she waits to get wheeled to an operating room at the NYU Langone Health hospital in New York City for an historic procedure.She volunteered to become the first living person in the world to get a kidney from a new kind of genetically modified pig. Scientists hope this kind of pig will someday provide an unlimited supply of kidneys, livers, hearts and other organs that could alleviate the chronic shortage of organs for transplantation and save thousands of patients every year.'We're going to make history today,' says Looney, before nurses take her in for the long, risky operation. NPR got exclusive access to be in the operating room for Looney's operation, which took place Nov. 25, but wasn't announced publicly until Tuesday.Towana Looney, 53, of Gadsden, Ala., gets ready to head into the operating room at NYU Langone Health in New York City to get a genetically modified pig kidney transplant. Looney, who's devoutly religious, says she sang church hymns the night before the surgery. But she had no doubts about trying this experimental surgery.Looney was discharged earlier than expected from the hospital, but had to return for a few days to have her medication adjusted. Nevertheless, her doctors remain optimistic.While many others share Montgomery's optimism, the procedure remains controversial. Some worry the organs could spread pig viruses to people, setting off another pandemic. Others are uncomfortable with exploiting animals for their organ
ORGAN TRANSPLANT GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGAN PIG ORGAN ORGAN SHORTAGE MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH
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