A man who lived with a genetically modified pig kidney for a file 271 days had the organ removed and can return to dialysis.
Tim Andrews of New Hampshire obtained the transplant in January, however surgeons at Mass General Brigham removed the organ Thursday due to a decline in kidney perform.
Andrews, 67, was the fourth living patient within the US to get a kidney transplant from a pig that had been genetically modified to assist forestall organ rejection and different problems.
Andrews, who had had diabetes because the Nineteen Nineties, discovered about three years in the past that he had end-stage kidney illness. Dialysis saved his life, however the course of was draining: He was related to the machines for six hours, three days every week. On days off, he’d sleep. By the time he wakened, he’d have to begin the method another time.
Andrews knew it was dangerous to strive a xenotransplant – transplanting an animal organ right into a human – however he said that if it may maintain him off dialysis and assist different folks with kidney issues, it was value it.
In the NCS documentary “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm,” he advised NCS Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta that the pig kidney left him feeling re-energized and revitalized.
“I was alive, and I hadn’t been in a long time,” Andrews mentioned, calling the transplant “a miracle.”
With the pig kidney, he mentioned he was slowly rebuilding his life. He has been capable of prepare dinner, vacuum and take lengthy walks along with his canine Cupcake. In June, he was even capable of throw out the primary pitch at Fenway Park and cheer on his beloved Boston Red Sox.
“I had the honor of meeting Tim earlier this year, and his positivity and energy were unwavering,” Gupta mentioned Monday. “He was so committed to the idea of his transplant experience furthering our understanding of xenotransplant and helping patients like himself. His willingness to undergo this procedure and be part of medical history now will no doubt be felt by the thousands of future patients with kidney failure. He is a true pioneer.”
In a press release Monday, Mass General Brigham referred to as Andrews a “selfless medical pioneer and an inspiration to patients with kidney failure around the world.”
Andrews posted on Facebook on Saturday that “this was a punishing journey filled with unknowns and surprises.” He added that “there were experimental drugs that had some unexpected side effects,” however for the 9 months he was capable of stay with the pig kidney, he mentioned, “I am proud of everything we discovered, learned and experienced.”
Andrews additionally expressed his gratitude to the pig who gave him the time without work of dialysis, calling her “my hero.”
“What a warrior she became helping fight through several ‘bumps in the road,’ ” he wrote. “Wilma the genetically edited pig is a major part of this medical breakthrough and a major part of my soul as long as I live. I LOVE YOU WILMA! Donate a Kidney and be a HERO!”
As Andrews resumes dialysis, he’ll stay on the ready listing for a human kidney transplant. More than 170 million persons are registered organ donors, in accordance with the Organ Donor Foundation, however nearly 90,000 persons are ready for a kidney within the US.
In March 2024, Richard Slayman turned the primary affected person to get a pig kidney within the US. He died two months later from causes not associated to the transplant. The second, Lisa Pisano, obtained a mechanical coronary heart pump along with the pig kidney in April 2024. The organ failed resulting from restricted blood movement and was removed the subsequent month, and he or she died in July 2024.
In November 2024, medical doctors at NYU gave 53-year-old Towana Looney a genetically modified pig kidney that functioned for 4 months and 9 days. They needed to remove it in April when her immune system began to reject it.
Mass General Brigham mentioned it should do one other pig-to-human kidney transplant later this yr.
NCS’s Nadia Kounang contributed to this report.