A groundbreaking transplant operation has given a New Jersey woman a new lease on life, thanks to a pig kidney and a heart pump. Lisa Pisano, 54, was suffering from a combination of heart and kidney failure, which left her too sick to qualify for a traditional organ transplant. The innovative surgeries, performed by doctors at NYU Langone Health, involved the implantation of a mechanical heart pump and, days later, the transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney.
The NYU team announced on Wednesday that Pisano is recovering well after the surgeries, which mark the second successful pig kidney transplant following a landmark procedure last month at Massachusetts General Hospital. The string of successful xenotransplantation experiments is raising hopes that animal-to-human transplants could become a reality, offering new solutions to the organ shortage crisis.
Pisano’s case is particularly significant due to the combination of heart and kidney failure, which initially disqualified her from traditional transplant options. After the operations, she was able to grasp a walker and take her first few steps, signaling a positive outcome. Pisano expressed her gratitude for the chance she took, stating, “I just took a chance. And you know, worst case scenario, if it didn’t work for me, it might have worked for someone else and it could have helped the next person.”
Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone Transplant Institute, was delighted with the success of the surgery, recounting cheers in the operating room when the pig kidney immediately started producing urine. Despite the early positive results, Dr. Nader Moazami, the cardiac surgeon who implanted the heart pump, cautioned that there is still a long way to go in terms of patient care and observation.
More than 100,000 people in the United States are on the transplant waiting list, with the majority needing a kidney, and thousands die waiting. The emergence of successful xenotransplantations could potentially alleviate the organ shortage. Several biotech companies are working on genetically modifying pigs to make their organs more humanlike and less likely to be rejected by the human immune system.
Special “compassionate use” experiments like Pisano’s provide valuable insights, but rigorous clinical studies are necessary to determine if xenotransplants truly work in the long term. The outcomes of Pisano’s surgery and the previous case at Massachusetts General Hospital will play a crucial role in the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to permit broader trials. United Therapeutics, the company behind the genetically modified pigs, plans to begin a clinical trial in 2024, hoping to advance the field of xenotransplantation and provide life-saving solutions to those in need.
