{"id":3168,"date":"2025-05-16T15:15:46","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T15:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/16\/dr-sanjay-gupta-at-the-forefront-of-organ-transplants-patients-are-the-pioneers\/"},"modified":"2025-05-16T15:15:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T15:15:46","slug":"dr-sanjay-gupta-at-the-forefront-of-organ-transplants-patients-are-the-pioneers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/16\/dr-sanjay-gupta-at-the-forefront-of-organ-transplants-patients-are-the-pioneers\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Sanjay Gupta: At the forefront of organ transplants, patients are the pioneers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/action-bar\/instances\/cmaq64gga007i26qfcf739700@published\" data-label-id-prefix=\"action-bar-start-of-article\" class=\"action-bar\" 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class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Tweet<\/span>        <\/button>                                        <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Email<\/span>                <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/05\/16\/health\/organ-transplant-pioneers-gupta\" data-type=\"copy\" aria-label=\"copy link to clipboard\" title=\"Copy link to clipboard\">                                <span class=\"social-share_labelled-list__share-links--label\">Link<\/span>        <\/button>        <\/p>\n<div class=\"social-share_labelled-list__copied\" data-type=\"message\">                        Link Copied!        <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__open\" data-type=\"open\" aria-label=\"open social share\" title=\"Open social share\">            <\/button>    <button class=\"social-share_labelled-list__close\" data-type=\"close\" aria-label=\"close social share\" title=\"Close social share\">            <\/button><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"action-bar__buttons\">            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"follow\">                                        Follow            <\/button>            <button class=\"action-bar__button\" data-title=\"share options\">                                <\/button>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq64gga007k26qfgntcgfhp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The story of transplants has always been one of altruism. After all, organs can be neither sold nor purchased. They can only be donated as a gift of life.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00023b6mfh804gnx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It is a story that started in 1954, when Dr. Joseph Murray performed the world\u2019s first successful organ transplant at Boston\u2019s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital between identical twin brothers Ronald and Richard Herrick. Richard had been discharged from the US Coast Guard after being diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease, and his identical twin brother, Ronald, was a willing donor. Although they had no certainty it would work, the transplant resulted in eight more years of life for Richard, successful in part because they had the same DNA.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00033b6mixlvnb62@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            When Ronald died in 2010, Dr. Murray remembered him in a statement published in the American Journal of Transplantation, saying: \u201cwe should never forget that he not only saved his brother Richard\u2019s life, but also paved the way for thousands of other transplant recipients throughout the world.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00043b6mn1tngiqf@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It is this same ethos that is now pushing forward the burgeoning field of xenotransplantation \u2013 the practice of using animal organs for human transplant.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaq6jbcn00013b6mm3h75jru@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"Patient02.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.561\" data-original-height=\"1683\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/patient02.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_large__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Lawrence Faucette and his wife Ann Faucette are shown at the University of Maryland Medical Center in 2023, days before he received a transplant of a genetically-modified pig heart.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_large__credit\">University of Maryland School of Medicine<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00053b6mo3h12a59@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            For the past two years, I\u2019ve spoken with surgeons, genetic engineers and patients who have all told me of the hope of using genetically engineered pig donors to help end the organ shortage crisis. In the United States alone, there are more than 100,000 people waiting for an organ at any given moment \u2013 most of them in need of a kidney. Every day, 17 people on that list will die, just waiting.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmaq6fhbg001t3b6mkxbjfipt@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmanazyg2002h27qh563jft2k@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"DSC06320.JPG\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/dsc06320.JPG?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">\u2018Don\u2019t give up\u2019: Man who volunteered for pig kidney transplant hopes to help others on dialysis<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">Amanda Sealy\/CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">He was tired of just surviving. A pig kidney gave him a shot at living<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00063b6mknwjz9i8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cThis paradigm that someone has to die in order for somebody to live is, a broken paradigm. It just doesn\u2019t work,\u201d said Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. As both a transplant surgeon and a heart transplant recipient himself, he knows how agonizing the wait can be. It\u2019s why he\u2019s relentlessly pushing for a new source of organs.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00073b6mtazpvaou@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            \u201cBecause less than 1% of the people who die every year die in a way that they could ever even be considered as organ donors, we need a sustainable, renewable source of organs from something else other than humans dying,\u201d Dr. Montgomery told me.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaq6jmro00033b6m84ai8iuy@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate portrait image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"20240403_mcr_transplant_patient_003.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"1.4993333333333334\" data-original-height=\"4498\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/20240403-mcr-transplant-patient-003-20250516005159526.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_large__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Rick Slayman, the world&#8217;s first living recipient of a genetically edited pig kidney transplant, in his hospital room at Massachusetts General Hospital in April 2024.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_large__credit\">Michelle Rose\/Massachusetts General Hospital<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00083b6mmrmbo72f@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In many ways, the idea of using pigs is not all that far-fetched. After all, we have been using pig heart valves to replace human valves since the 1970s.  The drugs heparin and insulin were initially derived from pigs. Because of their similarity in size to humans, a pig\u2019s organs are a pretty good match for us. And our long history of breeding them and their ability to produce large litters in just under four months makes them a reliable, steady and speedy source of potential organs.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu00093b6m84mpy3tj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            It was the more recent development of CRISPR and genetic engineering that has truly accelerated the field of xenotransplantation. Scientists can now modify a pig\u2019s DNA so that its organs are more compatible for human transplant, controlling for rejection, growth and possible viruses.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000a3b6m3m18s3gj@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            But just as with the Herrick brothers,  all of this heady science requires pioneering patients willing to take the chance and raise their hands despite the unknowns.    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaq6k2ib00053b6m1r243tfg@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"20250201_kaf_discharge_005.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.667\" data-original-height=\"2001\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/20250201-kaf-discharge-005.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_large__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">In January, surgeons from Mass General successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into Tim Andrews of Concord, New Hampshire.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_large__credit\">Massachusetts General Hospital<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000b3b6mq449o10t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Sixty-six-year-old Tim Andrews had been on dialysis for two years. He had end-stage kidney disease, and the likelihood that he would get a transplant was extremely low in part because of his rare blood type. Doctors put the chances of him finding a match within the next five years at just 9%. The likelihood of him dropping off the list altogether in that same time period because of illness or death was nearly 50%.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000c3b6mmcrcy6zz@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Dialysis had worn on Tim so much that he had resigned himself to the idea that he might literally die in the dialysis chair.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000d3b6m47ug8236@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            For those not on dialysis, it can be hard to understand just how grueling it can be, both mentally and physically. But think of it like this: Our kidneys are always working, filtering blood 24\/7.  A dialysis machine tries to do all that work, but compresses it into three or four days a week, a few hours each time. It was so stressful on Tim\u2019s body that he had a  heart attack six months after starting dialysis.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000e3b6mx5rf2ldy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            When he learned that his hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, had performed the first experimental pig kidney xenotransplant, he told his doctor, Dr. Leonard Riella, that he had to be given a chance.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000f3b6movsrybev@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            Even though he knew there was tremendous uncertainty about the outcome of the transplant, Tim pushed forward. When I visited Tim and his wife, Karen, at their home in Concord, New Hampshire, he told me, \u201cIt may shorten your life, but you\u2019re going to do something for humanity. And I\u2019m like, oh, God, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaq6km2i00073b6ms46cyfgm@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"Dr.-Montgomery-and-Towana-Looney.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/dr-montgomery-and-towana-looney.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_large__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Surgeons speak with Towana Looney, the longest-living recipient of a pig kidney, at NYU Langone Health in February 2025.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_large__credit\">Mateo Salcedo\/NYU Langone Health<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq65jnu000g3b6m9nk13y51@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            At the time, 53-year-old Towana Looney was the only person in the world  who could understand what Tim was contemplating. Twenty-five years earlier, Towana had donated one of her kidneys to her mom, but two  years later, she developed pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, and her remaining kidney was damaged.  Like Tim,  she was unlikely to find a match anytime soon, in her case because of high antibodies.  She had been on grueling dialysis for eight years before undergoing the transplant in November 2024 at NYU Langone. Dr. Montgomery was her transplant surgeon. Her life was transformed, and when I saw this vibrant womaen on stage talking about her experience, I was amazed at how healthy she looked. Afterward,  Dr. Montgomery told me, \u201cShe wants to start a revolution.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/related-content\/instances\/cmaq6g2ms001v3b6mitspo1x1@published\" data-component-name=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content-elevate related-content--article\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<header class=\"related-content__title related-content__title-text\" data-editable=\"content.title\">Related article<\/header>\n<section class=\"related-content__body\">\n<div class=\"related-content__image image__related-content\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/clr9qgwzj000j45qja76ndzys@published\" class=\"image-elevate image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"04 Xenotransplantation sanjay gupta\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/240112013301-04-xenotransplantation-sanjay-gupta.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Dr. Sanjay Gupta got an exclusive look into a top secret facility where they genetically modify pigs to be used for human organ donors.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image__credit\">CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"related-content__headline\">        <span class=\"related-content__headline-text\" data-editable=\"content.headline\">More people need transplants than there are organ donors. Pigs might be a solution<\/span>      <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq64ivv00003b6my114570d@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In April of this year, Towana had to have her kidney removed after she developed an infection unrelated to the organ that required her immunosuppression regimen to be lowered. At the time, she had lived with the genetically modified pig organ for 130 days, the longest period of time ever recorded.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq670dv000m3b6m7yijoosd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            In a statement, Towana said, \u201cI\u2019m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be part of this incredible research. For the first time since 2016, I enjoyed time with friends and family without planning around dialysis treatments. Though the outcome is not what anyone wanted, I know a lot was learned from my 130 days with a pig kidney\u2014and that this can help and inspire many others in their journey to overcome kidney disease.\u201d    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaq6o2gt000c3b6my2xt7p92@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"David-Bennett-with-Physical-Therapists.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6483333333333333\" data-original-height=\"1945\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/david-bennett-with-physical-therapists.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_large__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">In January 2022, surgeons at the University of Maryland School of Medicine transplanted a pig heart into 57-year-old David Bennett Sr. He was the first person in the world to receive a genetically modified pig organ.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_large__credit\">University of Maryland School of Medicine<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq670dv000n3b6m931wijit@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            These are still early days, and so there will be ups and downs, but in science, like life, you learn just as much from the failures as the successes. Each step forward has been building on the lessons learned from previous patient pioneers, like David Bennett and Lawrence Faucette. They both received pig hearts and lived an additional six to eight weeks. Rick Slayman and Lisa Pisano received pig kidneys in 2024, and both lived about two additional months after their procedures. In each case, their stories taught scientists valuable and transformative lessons about the field of xenotransplantation.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq670dv000o3b6my8kyyhtg@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            This spring, I had a chance to visit with Brittany Rydel, Lisa Pisano\u2019s daughter. She told me, \u201cMy mom always cared about other people. And one of the first things she said to me was, \u2018Even if this doesn\u2019t work for me, it can work for someone else.\u2019 And I think about that a lot. You know, I might need a kidney one day. My kids might need a kidney one day. \u201c    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmaq6kw4k00093b6mmive1pv2@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"AP24114784863986_CROP.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--eq-large&quot;: 660}\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2000\" data-original-width=\"3000\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/ap24114784863986-crop.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{&quot;image_large--eq-extra-small&quot;: 115, &quot;image_large--eq-small&quot;: 300, &quot;image_large--show-credits&quot;: 525}\">           <\/div>\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata-container media__metadata-container\">\n<div class=\"image_large__metadata media__metadata\">\n<div class=\"image_large__caption attribution\">    <span data-editable=\"metaCaption\" class=\"inline-placeholder\">Lisa Pisano, 54, faced heart failure and was on dialysis to manage end-stage kidney disease. At NYU Langone in 2024, she became the second living person to receive a pig kidney. The organ was removed after 47 days.<\/span>  <\/div><figcaption class=\"image_large__credit\">Shelby Lum\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq670dv000p3b6msx2fcjwi@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The baton of altruism and hope passed on again.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq670dv000q3b6mil9m49cd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            So often, it is the scientists and the researchers who are recognized \u2013 and for good reason. After all, the story of xenotransplantation is possible because of several Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, including transplanation, gene editing, cloning, IVF and immunology. As Dr. Montgomery told me, \u201cWe stand on the shoulders of giants for sure.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmaq670dv000r3b6m9s2hej7l@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">            The real giants propelling this field forward, however, are the patients bravely stepping into the unknown for the benefit of all of us.    <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div>This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Animal stories Genetics See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Link Copied! 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