Towana Looney, a 53-year-old woman from Alabama, has become the only living person with an animal organ transplant, receiving a gene-edited pig kidney at NYU Langone. Looney, who had been on dialysis for eight years due to pregnancy-related kidney failure, called the procedure “a blessing.”
The groundbreaking surgery, performed on November 25, 2024, is part of the rapidly advancing field of xenotransplantation, which aims to address the global organ shortage crisis. Advocates hope that such procedures will one day provide a sustainable solution for the over 100,000 Americans awaiting organ transplants, with 90,000 of them needing kidneys.
Looney faced unique challenges, including high levels of harmful antibodies that made rejection from human donors likely and gradually losing blood vessel access for dialysis. Her case follows two earlier gene-edited pig kidney transplants: Rick Slayman, who passed away two months after his surgery, and Lisa Pasano, who survived 47 days before returning to dialysis and later passing away.
Despite setbacks in earlier cases, researchers remain optimistic about xenotransplantation’s future. Robert Montgomery, the surgeon who led Looney’s seven-hour procedure, expressed gratitude to patients who have participated in this research, stating that their altruism has paved the way for clinical trials. These trials, under the FDA’s guidance, aim to establish whether gene-edited pig organs can become a safe and sustainable option for transplant recipients.
Looney was discharged on December 6 and is expected to stay in New York City for three months for monitoring as her immune system adapts to the new organ. While periodic treatments may be necessary, researchers hope her case will provide valuable insights into advancing the field of xenotransplantation.
