New Hampshire man resumes dialysis after record 271 days living with a pig kidney

WASHINGTON AP A New Hampshire man is resuming dialysis after living with a gene-edited pig kidney for a record days doctors mentioned Monday His experience is helping researchers in their quest for animal-to-human transplants Tim Andrews had the organ removed on Oct because its function was declining according to Mass General Brigham In a report his transplant group called Andrews a selfless biological pioneer and an inspiration to patients with kidney failure Andrews experience illustrates lessons researchers have learned with each experiment involving what s called xenotransplantation The first attempts using pig organs gene-edited to be more humanlike two hearts and two kidneys were short-lived Then researchers began considering patients not nearly as sick as prior recipients for these experiments and an Alabama woman s pig kidney lasted days before it had to be removed last spring the record Andrews surpassed More than people the greater part needing kidneys are on the U S transplant list and thousands die waiting Andrews of Concord New Hampshire knew his blood type is particularly hard to match and sought an alternative getting into shape to qualify for Mass General s xenotransplant pilot scrutiny His doctors explained he remains on the transplant list In June the Mass General club transplanted a pig kidney into another New Hampshire man who continues to fare well The pilot inquiry is set to conclude with a third pig kidney transplant later this year Two companies eGenesis and United Therapeutics are preparing to begin more rigorous clinical trials of pig kidney transplants Surgeons in China also are pursuing this new field reporting a pig kidney transplant last spring and separately a transplanted pig liver that had to be removed after days The Associated Press Vitality and Science Department receives assistance from the Howard Hughes Medicinal Institute s Department of Science Training and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content Source