A Pig Kidney Kept a Man Off Dialysis for 271 Days
A genetically edited pig kidney kept one patient off dialysis for 271 days before failing. He later received a human kidney that worked well during six months of follow-up, making the case the first reported pig-to-human kidney bridge, but still only a single-patient result.
A genetically engineered pig kidney kept Tim Andrews free from dialysis for 271 days, then gave way to a successful human kidney transplant. The case is the first documented use of a pig kidney as a temporary bridge to a human donor organ, according to a first-in-human report published online by The Lancet on September 3, 2026.
The 30-second summary
- What happened: A 66-year-old man received a kidney from a pig carrying 69 genetic edits and lived without dialysis for 271 days.
- Why it matters: After the pig kidney was removed, he returned briefly to dialysis and then received a human kidney that functioned well during six months of reported follow-up.
- The catch: This is one carefully selected patient, and the pig kidney developed progressive blood-vessel damage after roughly six months.
A bridge, not a permanent replacement
Andrews had end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes. His blood type and medical profile left him with an estimated 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years, while dialysis placed a heavy burden on his daily life. Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital transplanted the pig kidney on January 25, 2025.
The organ came from a Yucatan miniature pig developed by eGenesis. Its 69 edits removed several pig genes, added human genes intended to improve immune and clotting compatibility, and disabled copies of porcine endogenous retroviruses. The kidney began working immediately. The clinical team treated episodes of immune injury and monitored the patient closely, but damage to small blood vessels appeared after about six months and progressed until the organ was removed.
Key number: 271 days. That was the period of dialysis independence supported by the pig kidney, the longest reported in a living recipient at the time of the study.
Why the human transplant changes the story
The 271-day record itself was known when the pig kidney was removed in October 2025. The new milestone is what followed. Andrews later received a deceased-donor human kidney, making this the first reported transition from a pig kidney xenotransplant to a human kidney transplant. During six months of follow-up, the human organ worked well, and clinicians found no new antibodies against human tissue that would suggest the earlier xenotransplant had made a later transplant harder.
Researchers also reported no detected pig viruses or other pig pathogens. Those findings support the possibility that xenotransplantation could buy time for selected patients facing long waits, rather than requiring an animal organ to last for life. The Harvard Medical School account and independent reporting describe the result as a bridge strategy, not proof that pig kidneys are ready for routine care.
Reality check
This was a single patient treated under intensive specialist supervision, without a comparison group. The pig kidney ultimately failed, and the case cannot establish average survival, long-term infection risk, cost or which patients would benefit. Larger regulated trials must show that the approach is reproducible and safer than remaining on dialysis while waiting for a human organ.
Verified topics and entities
Sources and citations4 sources
External references used to support the reporting in this article.
- Porcine kidney xenotransplantation as a bridge to allotransplantation: a first-in-human study
- Patient Who Received Pig Kidney Becomes First To Progress to Human Kidney Transplant
- Genetically modified pig kidney keeps man alive for record nine months
- Patient lived with pig kidney for nine months before receiving human organ
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NewTqnia Health Desk
An institutional editorial team within NewTqnia
