Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of animal organs into man. But in the United States, it’s limited to patients with serious illnesses. A New York surgeon views this as a global solution to the problem of organ shortages.
In search of an answer to the transplant shortage, Maurice “Mo” Miller’s body ventured out to NYU Langone Health. His brother, proud but torn, noted that he had always wanted to help others. On July 14, surgeons replaced Miller’s kidneys with genetically modified pigs. Six days after his tragic death. (Source)
The medical team treated him just as if he were living, and, unbelievably but true, over a month later, the pig kidney functions like an ordinary one. This is believed to be the longest any pig has survived in person, having intact its organs.
But those who need kidney transplants are over 100,00 alone for the whole country. Many eligible people are not added, and many thousands die waiting. One of the reasons human organs are needed is the chief of NYU Langone’s transplant institute, Dr. Robert Montgomery, who survived seven cardiac arrests before qualifying for a heart transplant in 2018.
Pigs that have been genetically modified to produce more human like organs revive interest in xenotransplantation. A year earlier, surgeons at the University of Maryland implanted a pig heart in one man to extend his life for two months.
This novel method may bring hope to patients on organ waiting lists. Though this generosity was tragic, it may pave the way for a breakthrough that could revolutionize transplantation.
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