No xenotransplant has lasted a year yet, but that's a target that now seems to be within reach for kidneys. (Kidneys are a more forgiving test of xenotransplants than, say, hearts, since after graft failure the patient can remain alive on dialysis once again.)
The NYT has the story:
"Surgeons removed a genetically modified pig kidney from a 67-year-old man last week, nearly nine months after he received the pioneering procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, officials said on Monday. The kidney was removed “after a period of decreasing kidney function,” according to a statement from the hospital.
"The patient, Tim Andrews, lived with the pig kidney for a record-setting 271 days. He was the fourth person in the United States to receive a genetically modified pig kidney. The first two patients died shortly after their transplants; the third had her kidney removed after 130 days, when her body rejected the organ.
“Tim set a new bar in xenotransplantation,” the Mass General Brigham statement said, referring to the process of transplanting organs from one species into another.
"Mr. Andrews “will now resume dialysis and remain on the list for a human donor kidney,” the hospital added."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment