Robert Montgomery with a gene-edited pig kidney in the operating room during a xenotransplantation
Joe Carrotta/NYU Langone Health
On 16 March, Richard Slayman became the first living person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney. Less than one month later, Lisa Pisano became the second. Now, Towana Looney has become the third, having undergone the procedure on 25 November.
All three of the surgeries mark a significant achievement in xenotransplantation, the transfer of animal organs to people, and have laid the groundwork for a small human trial to hopefully begin within a year, said Robert Montgomery at NYU Langone…