A groundbreaking medical procedure has taken place in New Jersey as 54-year-old Lisa Pisano became the first person to undergo a transplant surgery that combined a mechanical heart pump with a gene-edited pig kidney. Pisano, who suffered from heart failure and end-stage kidney disease, was deemed ineligible for standard transplants due to her chronic medical conditions and the shortage of organs in the US.
According to statistics, 17 people die every day in the US while waiting for a suitable organ transplant, with kidneys being in the shortest supply. Xenotransplants, which involve transplanting animal organs into humans, have been seen as a potential solution to this organ shortage. The key lies in gene editing, which helps to prevent the body from rejecting the foreign organ.
Pisano received the heart pump on April 4th and the gene-edited pig kidney on April 12th, along with the pig’s thymus gland. This marks the first time a living recipient has received a mechanical heart pump along with the second known gene-edited pig kidney transplant in a living person. Previous recipients of gene-edited pig organs were unable to survive long-term, making Pisano’s case a significant breakthrough.
The surgery was led by Dr. Robert Montgomery at NYU Langone under the FDA’s compassionate use policies. The pig organ was genetically engineered to disrupt the alpha-gal gene in order to prevent rejection by human antibodies. Doctors are hopeful for Pisano’s successful recovery but are keeping a close eye on potential rejection and infection risks.
Pisano, who had been feeling near the end of her life, has reported feeling much better after the transplant and is looking forward to a healthier future. This remarkable medical feat offers hope for many others who are in desperate need of organ transplants but face similar challenges.
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