Another transplant of a pig kidney

A very highly sensitized patient, even one with lots of priority on the deceased donor waiting  list (a prior donor) may not find a compatible human kidney.  Right now pig kidneys are still very experimental. The Washington Post has the story:

Years after donating a kidney, Alabama woman receives one from a pig
She became the third human to receive a genetically engineered pig’s kidney, raising hopes for thousands of Americans on the waiting list for organ transplants. By Mark Johnson

"Twenty-five years after donating a kidney to her mother, an Alabama woman became the third human to receive a genetically engineered pig’s kidney, raising hopes for thousands of Americans on the waiting list for organ transplants, officials at NYU Langone Health announced Tuesday. She is the first live patient to receive a pig’s kidney with 10 gene edits designed to reduce the risk of organ rejection.

...

"In March, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital performed the first transplant of a gene-edited pig’s kidney, implanting the organ in Richard Slayman, a 62-year-old worker for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. He lived for 52 days.

"Lisa Pisano, a 54-year-old grandmother, was the next to receive a gene-edited pig’s kidney, the first time such a kidney had been transplanted in a person also receiving a heart pump; the two procedures were performed on different days in April. She survived 86 days, though the gradually failing kidney had to be removed after 47 days.

...

"The gene-edited pig used in Looney’s transplant was developed by Revivicor Inc., a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation.

"The 10 changes to the pig’s genetic code included the removal of three immunogenic antigens, molecules that can trigger an immune response. A growth hormone receptor, which can regulate growth and metabolism, was also removed.

"In addition, scientists gave the pig six human transgenes, pieces of DNA that have been experimentally constructed, and were intended to make the pig organ more compatible to the human body.

"Doctors received permission to perform the procedure under the Food and Drug Administration’s compassionate use program, which allows the use of investigational medical products outside of clinical trials when a patient has a life-threatening condition."