WASHINGTON — New Hampshire man resumes dialysis after living with gene-edited pig kidney for a record 271 days, doctors said on Monday. His expertise helps researchers in their quest for animal-to-human transplants.
Tim AndrewsThe 67-year-old had the organ removed on Oct. 23 because its function was deteriorating, according to Massachusetts General Brigham. In a statement, his transplant team called Andrews a “dedicated medical pioneer and inspiration” for kidney failure patients.
Andrews' experience illustrates the lessons researchers have learned from each experiment involving so-called xenotransplantation. First attempts to use Pig organs genetically edited to be more human-like – two hearts and two kidneys – did not last long.
The researchers then began to consider the patients not as sick as previous participants in these experiments. Alabama Woman's Pork Kidney lasted 130 days before it was supposed to be deleted last spring, a record that Andrews surpassed.
More than 100,000 of the people most in need of kidney transplants are on the US transplant list, and thousands are dying waiting.
Andrews, from Concord, New Hampshire, knew his blood type was particularly difficult to match and sought an alternative, getting into shape to qualify for Mass General's pilot xenotransplantation study. His doctors said he remains on the transplant list.
In June, the Mass General team transplanted a pig kidney into another New Hampshire resident, who continues to do well. The pilot study will culminate in a third pig kidney transplant later this year.
Two companies, eGenesis and United Therapeutics, are preparing to begin more rigorous clinical trials of porcine kidney transplants.
Surgeons in China are also pursuing this new field, reporting a pig kidney transplant last spring and, separately, a pig liver transplant that had to be removed after 38 days.
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