A genetically modified pig kidney kept a 66-year-old man with kidney failure free of dialysis for a record nine months in a first-of-its-kind bridge transplant. That gives hope in a world where the number of people waiting for organ transplants exceeds the number of organs available.
According to a new report published in The Lancet, pig kidney transplants could offer a solution for patients facing long waiting times for human kidneys.
The study patient, a 66-year-old living with kidney failure caused by type 2 diabetes who had been on haemodialysis — a medical treatment that uses a special machine to filter waste products, extra fluids, and toxins from the blood when the kidneys fail — for two years before transplantation, received the pig organ in January 2025.
The patient had no available living donor and was listed for deceased-donor kidney transplantation, for which the expected waiting time was over five years.
Based on the Kidney Transplant Decision Tool — a programme that weighs treatment options and waiting times — the estimated probability of receiving the transplant he needed was approximately 9%, whereas the estimated risk of death or removal from the waiting list exceeded 40%.
