Towana Looney's Record Pig Kidney Transplant
Analysis based on 6 articles · First reported Jan 25, 2025 · Last updated Jan 26, 2025
This medical breakthrough in xenotransplantation, highlighted by Towana Looney's record-setting recovery, is expected to significantly boost investor confidence in biotechnology and healthcare companies like United Therapeutics that are developing gene-edited organs. The success could accelerate regulatory approvals from the United States — Food and Drug Administration for formal trials, opening up new market opportunities in organ transplantation.
Towana Looney, an Alabama woman, has become the longest-living recipient of a pig organ transplant, with her gene-edited pig kidney functioning for over 61 days. This achievement, led by Dr. Robert Montgomery at NYU Langone Health, marks a significant milestone in xenotransplantation, offering hope for the more than 100,000 people on the U.S. transplant list. Looney's vibrant recovery, despite initial signs of rejection that were successfully treated, is providing crucial data for future studies. United Therapeutics, which supplied the kidney, has requested permission from the United States — Food and Drug Administration to begin formal trials. This event is a morale boost for the medical community and could pave the way for animal-to-human transplants to become a reality, addressing the severe shortage of human organs.
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