American woman sets record for longest life with pig kidney transplant

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

Sixty-one days after surgery, she is still healthy and full of energy, marking a major turning point in the medical field.

"I'm Superman," Looney said excitedly after being able to hike with her family in New York without feeling tired. This success brings hope to thousands of patients waiting for organ transplants, especially those with complex immune systems like her.

Towana Looney is wheeled into the operating room. Photo: NYU Langone Health

Looney's transplant was performed by Dr. Robert Montgomery and a team at NYU Langone Health. He confirmed that her kidneys are functioning "perfectly" and that if she continues to stabilize, she could leave New York and return home to Gadsden, Alabama, within a month.

Before Looney, only four Americans had received genetically modified pig organs—two hearts and two kidneys—but none had survived more than two months. Looney’s success was a major step toward bringing scientists closer to the goal of using animal organs to replace donated human organs.

Looney donated one kidney to his mother in 1999. However, during a subsequent pregnancy, Looney suffered from severe high blood pressure, which damaged her remaining kidney and eventually stopped 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 that could reject almost any transplanted organ. So Looney decided to participate in the pig kidney transplant trial.

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

Thanks to lessons learned from the 2023 pig kidney transplant study—in which a pig kidney functioned for 61 days before being rejected—they were able to treat Looney and get the condition under control. There have been no further signs of rejection since.

In addition to being a test patient, Looney has also become an “ambassador” for xenotransplantation. She regularly shares 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