American woman sets record for longest life expectancy with pig kidney transplant.

(CLO) Towana Looney, a 53-year-old woman from Alabama, USA, has made history by becoming the longest-living person with a transplanted pig kidney.

Sixty-one days after the surgery, she remained healthy and full of energy, marking a major breakthrough in the field of medicine.

"I'm a superhero," Looney excitedly shared, describing her ability to go on long walks with her family in New York without feeling tired. This success offers hope to thousands of patients awaiting organ transplants, especially those with complex immune systems like hers.

Towana Looney is being taken to the operating room. Photo: NYU Langone Health

Looney's transplant was performed by Dr. Robert Montgomery and his research team at NYU Langone Health. He confirmed that her kidney is functioning "perfectly normally" and, if things continue to remain stable, she could leave New York and return home to Gadsden, Alabama, within a month.

Before Looney, only four Americans had ever received genetically modified pig organ transplants – two hearts and two kidneys – but none survived for more than two months. Looney's success is a major step forward, bringing scientists closer to the goal of using animal organs to replace donated human organs.

Looney donated a kidney to her mother in 1999. However, during a subsequent pregnancy, Looney suffered from severe high blood pressure, which damaged her remaining kidney and eventually caused it to stop functioning.

After eight years of dialysis, doctors concluded that Looney was unlikely to receive a kidney from a donor because her body had unusually high levels of antibodies, capable of rejecting almost any transplanted organ. Therefore, Looney decided to participate in a pig kidney transplant trial.

Following the surgery on November 25th, Looney recovered so quickly that he was discharged from the hospital after only 11 days. However, about three weeks later, doctors detected signs of rejection.

Thanks to lessons learned from the 2023 pig kidney transplant study – where a pig kidney functioned for 61 days before being rejected – they were able to treat Looney in time and control the condition. Since then, there have been no further signs of rejection.

Not only did Looney serve as a test patient, but she also became an "ambassador" for xenotransplantation. She regularly shared her experiences with other patients on social media, helping them better understand the procedure.

Hoai Phuong (according to CBS, Sky News)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-my-lap-ky-luc-song-lau-nhat-voi-than-lon-ghep-post332671.html