Alabama Woman Receives Gene-Edited Pig Kidney
The Facts
Towana Looney, 53, has become the only living person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney, following two people who previously received one but later passed away. The Alabama woman had the transplant at New York City's Langone Health on Nov. 25.
After donating a kidney to her mother in 1999, Looney later developed kidney failure due to pregnancy complications. She began dialysis treatment in 2016 and was put on an organ donor list early the next year.
The Spin
Narrative A
Xenotransplantation represents a revolutionary solution to the severe organ shortage crisis, offering hope to tens of thousands of patients dying while waiting for transplants. The successful outcomes and rapid recovery of recent recipients demonstrates the viability of this approach. While more trials are needed, this technology has advanced significantly, suggesting the future of organ failure medicine is very hopeful.
Narrative B
Xenotransplantation is undoubtedly a scientific breakthrough, but the process still faces hurdles, including a lack of proven long-term viability and the risk of animal-to-human disease contraction. During a pig heart transplant in a 62-year-old man, for example, viruses were found inside the transplanted organ despite genetic modifications to avoid it. These issues must be dealt with before xenotransplantation is seen as a routine medical procedure.
