(NewsNation) — Surgeons at New York Langone Health transplanted a genetically engineered pig kidney into a brain-dead patient. A month later, the kidney is still functioning, making it the most successful attempt at animal-human transplant yet.
Xenotransplantation, or the transplanting of organs from one species to another, could be a solution to an organ shortage that leaves many people waiting on transplant lists for extended periods of time.
The kidney came from a genetically-altered pig, which had a gene that encodes the biomolecule known as alpha-gal removed. That biomolecule can trigger the human immune system to attack the organ and reject it, often immediately after surgery.
Researchers also gave the patient immunosuppressing drugs, which are commonly used after any organ donation, to prevent the body from rejecting the new organ.
The work could be a huge breakthrough for those in need of a transplant. According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, more than 100,000 Americans are waiting on an organ transplant. Seventeen people die each day waiting for a transplant.
Among those waiting, the need for kidneys far outpaces the need for other organs. While kidneys can be donated from a living donor as well as from a deceased donor, there is still a shortage of organs for those who require a transplant.
Researchers plan to continue to study the patient for another month, in hopes of learning more about the long-term effects of using the pig kidney.
The 57-year-old patient, identified as Mo, was suffering from a brain tumor. After he was declared brain dead, his family donated his body to researchers in hopes of advancing scientific progress.
Researchers are already in conversations with the Food and Drug Administration about the possibility of clinical trials on living humans in the future.