Genetically Modified Pig kidney Recipient Receives Human Donor kidney After 271 Days
USA: A New Hampshire man who became one of the world’s earliest recipients of a genetically modified pig kidney has returned home to Concord after receiving a near-perfect human donor kidney at Massachusetts General Hospital. Tim Andrews, who had been living with diabetes and end-stage kidney disease, underwent the new transplantation on Tuesday after physicians located and procured a compatible human organ.
Andrews first received the experimental pig kidney last year and lived with that organ for 271 days before his body mounted a rejection response and the animal kidney was removed days ago. Clinicians at Massachusetts General coordinated the rapid transition from xenotransplantation back to a conventional human transplant, moving from removal of the rejected organ to implantation of the donated kidney within a tightly managed clinical window. Surgeons and care teams described the moment the donor organ was confirmed as intensely emotional and pivotal for the patient’s recovery plan.
The case places the patient and the hospital at the intersection of breakthrough research and practical transplantation care. Physicians involved present this sequence of xenotransplantation followed by a successful human transplant as part of ongoing clinical efforts to expand options for people with advanced organ failure. Andrews is now recuperating in Concord under routine post-transplant monitoring and immunosuppression management, while teams continue to observe outcomes that could inform future protocols for using animal organs as temporary bridges or alternatives.
This episode highlights both the promise and the complexities of transplantation science: genetic modification of animal organs, careful matching and procurement of human donors, and the close coordination required when novel therapies intersect with standard transplant pathways. Clinical teams emphasize continued study and monitoring to better understand durability, rejection risks, and the role of such approaches in addressing organ shortages.
Video originally published on 2026-01-16 17:40:10
