Man Gets Pig Kidney – What Happened Next?
In a sci-fi twist, Mr. Tim Andrews, 66, from New Hampshire, became the second person to live with a transplanted pig kidney. If you think this sounds like some lab experiment, think again—this is the new frontier of medicine.
On Friday, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) confirmed that Mr. Andrews had completed dialysis and was recovering well after his discharge. Just a week after his milestone surgery, he is on his way to leading a healthy life. In his own words, “When I woke up in the recovery room, I was a new man.”
This is not merely a success story but a medical revolution. For decades, scientists and doctors have explored a concept called xenotransplantation—the process of transplanting organs from animals into humans. The results have been less than promising until now. Mr. Andrews’ successful surgery gives hope to thousands of patients in need of life-saving transplants.
From Dialysis to Defying the Odds
Mr. Andrews’ life had been centered around a dialysis machine for almost two years, after his kidneys unexpectedly failed. Long, tiring, and uncertain days lay ahead. He was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, but physicians warned him that with his blood group, it could take up to seven years to find a match. Seven years is a lifetime when struggling against kidney failure. Only 50% of patients supported by dialysis survive beyond five years.
But Andrews refused to sit idly by. Instead, he embraced the idea of an experimental pig kidney transplant. When MGH offered him a spot in a small pilot study, he jumped at the opportunity. “I said, ‘Anything. I’ll do anything,'” he recalled.
A Makeover for Medicine—and for Tim
Before undergoing the surgery, Andrews had to get in the best shape possible. He wasn’t just losing weight; he needed to build his stamina to withstand the radical procedure. At the time, he was weak, battling diabetes, and suffering from a slow-healing diabetic foot ulcer that left him nearly unable to walk.
Determined to improve, Andrews embraced physical therapy, ate a healthier diet, and lost almost 30 pounds. Six months later, he entered the hospital to surprise his doctors. “He was just, you know, a different person,” said Dr. Leonardo Riella, the transplant nephrologist who oversaw his case.
Going Under the Knife
On January 25, Andrews entered the operating theater, where Dr. Tatsuo Kawai and his team performed the high-stakes surgery. The pig kidney, harvested from genetically modified pigs, was inserted into his body. As the surgeons connected it, the organ turned a healthy pink and urinated immediately.
This was the moment of truth. Would the kidney behave like a human organ? Would Andrews’ immune system reject it? So far, things have looked promising.
“When I woke up in the recovery room, I felt like a whole different person,” Andrews said. One week later, he was discharged from the hospital—a staggering milestone in the world of xenotransplantation.
Pig Kidneys: The Future of Organ Transplants?
Andrews is not alone in this new frontier of medicine. Scientists are racing to solve the organ shortage crisis, and pig organs are leading the charge. With over 100,000 people on the U.S. transplant waiting list—most in dire need of a kidney—and thousands dying each year due to the lack of available organs, xenotransplantation may be the answer.
The challenge with previous pig organ transplants has always been rejection. Our immune systems are naturally hardwired to fight anything foreign. But with new advances in gene editing, researchers are tweaking pigs at the genetic level, making their organs more compatible with humans.
United Therapeutics, one of the biotech firms at the forefront of this research, recently received FDA approval to conduct a clinical trial involving six patients receiving pig kidneys. If the trial shows promising results, it will expand to 50 patients. Meanwhile, MGH has FDA approval for two more pig kidney transplants as part of its pilot study.
“This is uncharted territory,” said Dr. Kawai, who also led the world’s first pig kidney transplant last year. “But with lessons from animal research and prior human attempts, I’m very optimistic. Hopefully, we can achieve kidney survival for over two years.”
A Call with the Only Other Pig Kidney Patient in the World
Before his surgery, Andrews wanted to talk to someone who truly understood what he was about to go through. That person was Towana Looney, the first patient to receive a pig kidney. Looney has now been thriving for over two and a half months since her transplant at NYU Langone Health.
“We just prayed together and talked about how it was going to be,” Andrews recalled. “She told me just to stay strong, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Andrews’ kidney is functioning very well, with no signs of rejection. After the surgery, he stayed in a hotel near the hospital for daily checkups, but he will soon return home to New Hampshire.
The Road Ahead for the Man With Pig Kidney
While it is still too early to say how long the pig kidney will last, the doctors remain optimistic. If, for any reason, the kidney fails, he would still be eligible for a human transplant.
The good news? His position on the transplant list remains intact, meaning he won’t lose his priority.
For now, Andrews isn’t dwelling on the “what-ifs.” He’s focused on spreading hope. He plans to return to his old dialysis clinic to share his experience and inspire other patients who feel there’s no way out.
What’s Next for Xenotransplantation?
With rapid advancements in genetic engineering and transplantation, it may not be far-fetched to think that pig kidneys could soon become a standard solution for kidney failure. Analysts predict that in about five years, pig organs will revolutionize the transplantation industry and save tens of thousands of lives annually.
For now, Tim Andrews proves that medical miracles are possible. Once reliant on a dialysis machine, he now walks freely, feeling energized and healthier. He carries the promise of future medicine within him. If this represents our future, we can expect an incredible journey ahead.
Man Gets Pig Kidney – What Happened Next?
