A woman has lived with a pig kidney for more than nine months without needing dialysis, a record-setting achievement.
\n\nThe woman underwent the operation at Massachusetts General Hospital on November 22 last year. As of Thursday, the kidney has been functioning for 285 days, according to Cambridge, Massachusetts-based eGenesis, the biotech company that used Crispr gene editing to make the organ fit for human transplantation. Previously, the record for a person living with a transplanted pig kidney was 271 days, set by Tim Andrews.
\n\nMost people in need of a kidney transplant wait three to five years on average to receive one, though it can take longer depending on blood type and other factors. While they wait, patients often need dialysis, in which a person’s blood vessels are hooked up to a machine that removes excess fluid and waste from the bloodstream. Dialysis typically requires four-hour sessions three times a week and can damage blood vessels over time, making the procedure hard on the body.
\n\nPig kidneys could offer an alternative until a human organ is available. Pig organs are similar in size and function to human organs and are being investigated as a way to ease the shortage of…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/