Towana Looney, a previous kidney donor, became the first individual to live with a pig kidney that has been gene-edited to function fully. For thousands of people waiting for transplants, her tale of tenacity and medical progress offers hope.
Towana Looney, 53, has a new lease on life after eight years on dialysis thanks to a pioneering kidney transplant of a gene-edited pig. At NYU Langone Transplant Institute, Looney, an Alabama grandmother, made history last month by becoming the first recipient of a pig kidney that had undergone ten gene tweaks to improve the organ’s compatibility with her body.
“It’s a miracle,” said Looney, who later suffered from kidney disease after giving her mother a kidney in 1999. When doctors recommended the experimental technique, her hope was rekindled after years of health issues and unsuccessful matches. She exclaimed with hope, “I can now eat, move, and live without the machine controlling my life.”
Dr. Robert Montgomery, her surgeon, celebrated the transplant as a turning point in the area of xenotransplantation, which studies organ transplants from animals to humans. “In less than ten years, this could completely change the organ transplant landscape,” Montgomery stated.
Looney’s family described the moment her new kidney started working as “life-changing.” Her husband claimed that it had given her more vitality and happiness. To guarantee long-term success, Looney is currently receiving daily examinations and AI-assisted surveillance.
Looney remains optimistic in spite of the uncertainties. She stated, “I wanted to help people in need like me.” “To make a difference, even if it’s experimental, is worth it.”
This discovery portends a time when no one will have to wait for life-saving organs, as over 90,000 Americans are currently on the waiting list for kidneys.
