It’s a medical marvel.
A 53-year-old woman from Alabama has received a life-changing gift in the form of a gene-edited pig kidney, which she has been living with in good health for over a month, according to her doctors in New York City.
Towana Looney’s kidney failure journey began in 1999 when she donated one of her kidneys to her mother. However, complications from a subsequent pregnancy led to high blood pressure that caused her remaining kidney to fail. By late 2016, Looney was dependent on kidney dialysis, and soon after, she was placed on the kidney transplant list. However, her chances of finding a compatible human kidney were limited due to her immune system’s high likelihood of rejecting any donor organ.
After eight years of unsuccessful dialysis and worsening health, Looney qualified for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) program that allowed her to receive a pig kidney. The organ had undergone 10 genetic modifications to make it compatible for human use. This type of transplant, known as xenotransplantation, is still experimental, but Looney’s case marks a significant milestone as she is the third person in the world to receive such a transplant and the only one to receive a pig kidney with 10 genetic edits.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led the transplant operation, expressed his pride in Looney’s success, emphasizing how her case demonstrates the progress made in xenotransplantation since the first surgery in 2021. Looney, who now feels rejuvenated, shared her excitement for the future, including plans to travel and spend more time with her family and grandchildren. Her successful surgery is also a beacon of hope for those on the transplant waiting list, which is a growing problem in the U.S., with over 90,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant.
Looney’s journey began with Dr. Jayme Locke in Alabama, who introduced her to the FDA’s expanded-access program. Locke’s research ensured that the gene-edited pig kidney would function properly in Looney’s body, ultimately making the transplant possible. This groundbreaking procedure offers hope to the thousands of Americans struggling with kidney failure, as the organ shortage continues to be a critical issue, with over 808,000 people affected by end-stage kidney disease in the U.S.
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