An Alabama woman has made history as the longest-living recipient of a gene-edited pig kidney transplant. Towana Looney, 53, has been thriving for over 61 days since receiving the organ in November 2024, with her doctors reporting “absolutely normal” kidney function.
“I’m superwoman,” Looney told The Associated Press. “It’s a new take on life.”
Looney is the fifth person to undergo xenotransplantation—transplants involving animal organs—but the first to live beyond two months. Her surgery, led by Dr. Robert Montgomery at New York University Langone Health, marks a breakthrough in the field.
“If you saw her on the street, you would have no idea that she’s the only person in the world walking around with a pig organ inside them that’s functioning,” Montgomery said.
Looney, who donated a kidney to her mother in 1999, had struggled with kidney disease after complications from pregnancy. After eight years on dialysis and an unsuccessful search for a human donor, she joined a clinical trial for pig kidney transplants.
The groundbreaking procedure offers hope for addressing the organ shortage in the U.S., where over 90,000 people are awaiting kidney transplants. Advances in gene editing have made pigs ideal donors, potentially transforming the future of medicine.
Looney is expected to return to Alabama in February, with doctors optimistic about the long-term success of the transplant.
