Surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City completed the first combined gene-edited pig kidney transplant and surgical implantation of a mechanical heart pump.
Lisa Pisano, a 54-year-old from New Jersey dealing with heart failure and end-stage kidney disease, underwent the procedures.
Pisano’s two procedures were conducted by separate surgical teams approximately nine days apart.
Pisano, ineligible for human transplants due to chronic conditions, including reliance on dialysis, had the heart pump implanted first. Subsequently, a genetically modified pig kidney and thymus gland were transplanted to help prevent rejection.
Expressing her desire for an improved quality of life, Pisano stated in a press release, “After I was ruled out for a human transplant, I learned I didn’t have a lot of time left.”
Dr. Robert Montgomery, who spearheaded the transplant surgery, emphasized that the experimental gene-edited pig kidney developed by United Therapeutics Corp. not only met the requirements but also proved to be a suitable match for Pisano. Additionally, Pisano received the donor pig’s thymus gland, crucial for reducing the risk of rejection.
The NYU team asserts that this marks the inaugural documented case of a patient with a mechanical heart pump undergoing any form of organ transplant.
Furthermore, this marks the second time a gene-edited pig kidney has been transplanted into a person and the first time it was done along with the thymus, as reported by the hospital.
Recently, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital connected the blood vessels and ureter of the pig kidney to those of Richard Slayman, a 62-year-old man suffering from end-stage kidney disease, who continues to exhibit promising recovery.
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