For the second time, American surgeons have transplanted a kidney from a genetically engineered pig into a living patient who also received a heart pump in a joint procedure that is the first of its kind and represents an important new milestone in the rapidly advancing field.
The transplantation of animal organs into the human body, known as allografts, represents a potential solution to the chronic shortage of organ donors, offering hope to tens of thousands of people on waiting lists.
The new surgery was announced Wednesday at New York University's Langone Hospital.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, who performed the kidney transplant, said at a news conference, "We have combined two of the wonders of modern medicine in a new way. He called the operation "an important new step toward ensuring that vital organs are available to everyone who needs them.
The 54-year-old patient, Lisa Pisano, who underwent the surgery, suffered from heart and kidney failure and could not have a heart pump implanted because of the high mortality rate among people on dialysis who receive pump implants. But she also had antibody levels that could have made her wait years for her chance at a human kidney.
Because of her heart condition, doctors said she had only a few weeks to live.
"I tried everything...so when this opportunity came up, I decided to take it," said Pisano, a New Jersey native.
"I told myself, 'Worst-case scenario, if it doesn't work, maybe it will work for the next person,'" she added from her hospital bed, thanking her family, doctors and nurses.
The heart pump (or ventricular assist device) implant was performed on April 4 and the kidney transplant on April 12.
Dr. Montgomery expressed satisfaction that so far, about two weeks after the transplant, "there has been no evidence" that the patient's immune system has confronted the invading organ, which is a common problem in such surgeries.
He explained that the pig underwent a genetic modification to reduce this risk.
The pig's thymus gland, an organ that plays an important role in the immune system, was also transplanted for the first time.
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston announced last March that it had performed the first genetically modified porcine kidney transplant in a living patient.
Kidney transplants from genetically modified pigs to brain-dead humans have been performed before.
Live patients have also received heart transplants from a genetically modified pig, but they later died.
These operations, described as "compassionate", pave the way for larger clinical trials in the future. "We are clearly moving very quickly into clinical trials, perhaps faster than we thought," Dr. Montgomery said.
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