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Silently, dozens of doctors and nurses formed a tribute in the hospital hallway, acknowledging a historic moment: A pig’s kidney had operated seamlessly within the brain-dead man on the gurney for a groundbreaking two months. This experiment concluded on Wednesday when surgeons at NYU Langone Health extracted the pig kidney and reunited Maurice “Mo” Miller’s donated body with his family for cremation.
This achievement marked a groundbreaking milestone, as it represented the longest duration that a genetically modified pig kidney had ever functioned inside a human, albeit one who had already passed away. By pushing the boundaries of research in post-mortem scenarios, the scientists gleaned invaluable insights they intend to share with the FDA. Their ultimate goal is to conduct live tests with pig kidneys in the hope of addressing the organ shortage crisis.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, the leading transplant surgeon behind this experiment, emphasized the significance of this two-month success: “Two months is a substantial period to maintain a pig kidney in such excellent condition. This instills a great deal of confidence for future endeavors.” As a heart transplant recipient himself, Montgomery underscores the importance of animal-to-human transplants in alleviating the scarcity of organs.
