Alabama Woman Receives Third Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Transplant at NYU Langone on November 25, Ends Dialysis

Dec 17, 2024, 04:31 PM

Towana Looney, a 53-year-old woman from Alabama, has become the third person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant, marking a significant advancement in xenotransplantation. The procedure, performed at NYU Langone Health on November 25, 2024, has allowed Looney to stop dialysis after eight years, offering her a new lease on life. The pig kidney, provided by Revivicor and featuring 10 gene edits, is functioning well and has not been rejected by Looney's body. This transplant is part of ongoing efforts to address the chronic shortage of human organs available for transplant, with more than 100,000 people currently on the U.S. transplant list, the majority needing kidneys.