The Only Person in the World With a Functioning Pig Organ is Thriving After a Record 2 Months



Towana Looney, from Gadsden, Ala., just passed a major milestone when she became the longest living recipient of a pig organ transplant on Saturday. Healthy and full of energy, the 53-year-old has been living with her kidney for 61 days and counting. Looney’s vibrant recovery is a morale boost in the quest to make animal-to-human transplants a reality. Only four other Americans have received hugely experimental transplants of gene-edited pig organs — two hearts and two kidneys — and none lived more than two months. “If you saw her on the street, you would have no idea that she’s the only person in the world walking around with a pig organ inside them that’s functioning,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery of NYU Langone Health, who led Looney’s transplant. He called Looney’s kidney function “absolutely normal,” and hopes she can leave New York — where she’s temporarily living for post-transplant checkups — for her home in Alabama in about another month. Dr. Montgomery added that they are quite optimistic that the organ is going to continue to work well for Looney for a significant period of time. Scientists are genetically altering pigs so their organs are more humanlike to address a severe shortage of transplantable human organs. More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant list, most who need a kidney, and thousands die waiting.
 
Dr. Jayme Locke, Towana Looney, and Dr. Robert Montgomery