The first woman to receive a pig organ, and the second known living recipient to receive a gene-edited pig kidney, has died, the Associated Press reports. Lisa Pisano, a New Jersey woman, received a pig kidney transplant and implanted device to keep her heart beating.
Pisano was fighting for her life when she received the gift from a pig in April at NYU Langone Health in New York. The combination of Pisano’s heart and kidney failure left her too sick to qualify for a traditional transplant so doctors at NYU Langone Health came up with a plan to implant a mechanical pump to keep her heart beating and days later, transplanted a kidney from a genetically modified pig.
Pisano initially seemed to be recovering well but about 47 days later, doctors had to remove the pig kidney and put Pisano back on dialysis after the organ was damaged by her heart medications.
She recently entered hospice care and died Sunday, NYU Langone transplant surgeon Dr. Robert Montgomery said in a statement. Montgomery praised her bravery for attempting the latest pig organ-to-human experiment. The research aims to one day shore up the dire shortage of transplantable organs, AP reports.
More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant waiting list. Most need a kidney, and thousands die waiting.
