A major medical breakthrough recently took place when a woman in Alabama lived for 130 days with a genetically modified pig kidney. The transplant was done on November 25 at NYU Langone Health in New York. It became the longest time a person has lived with a gene-edited pig organ. However, on April 4, doctors removed the kidney after signs of rejection appeared. The woman is now back on dialysis. This case is part of a new experimental treatment called xenotransplantation, where animal organs are used in humans. Researchers are exploring this method because there is a severe shortage of human organ donors. Over 100,000 people in the U.S. are currently waiting for transplants.

Doctors say this case gives helpful information for future studies. Dr. Robert Montgomery, the lead surgeon, said removing the kidney was safer than using stronger anti-rejection medicine, which could have been risky. The rejection may have been caused by a minor infection and changes in medication. Despite these problems, the pig kidney worked well in the beginning and gave the woman a short break from dialysis. Experts like Dr. Tatsuo Kawai pointed out that controlling the immune system remains a big challenge. Even though the transplant did not last forever, it was still a pivotal moment that could catalyze new ways to improve compatibility, reduce rejection, and increase resilience of animal organs in human transplants.