Doctors have removed a genetically modified pig kidney from an American woman after her body began rejecting the organ—ending a record-setting 130-day run that researchers say still marked a breakthrough in transplant science.
Towana Looney, a woman in her fifties from Alabama, received the pig kidney last November at NYU Langone Hospital in New York. It was an experimental transplant done in hopes of easing the global shortage of human organs.
“For the first time since 2016, I enjoyed time with friends and family without planning around dialysis treatments,” Looney said in a statement, describing the transplant as “life-changing,” even if temporary. “Though the outcome is not what anyone wanted, I know a lot was learned from my 130 days with a pig kidney—and that this can help and inspire many others.”
While her body eventually rejected the organ earlier this April, the kidney functioned successfully for more than four months—outperforming all previous attempts of using animal organs for humans, which typically failed within two months.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, who led the surgical team, confirmed that Looney experienced “a reduction in renal function due to acute rejection.” He explained that the episode followed a reduction in her immunosuppressive medication, which had been lowered to treat an unrelated infection. “What triggered the rejection episode after a long period of stability is being actively investigated,” Montgomery added.
Despite the outcome, Looney, who had previously donated a kidney to her own mother in 1999 and later lost her remaining kidney due to pregnancy complications, said she is grateful for the opportunity. After spending eight years on dialysis and failing to find a matching human donor, she was cleared for the pig kidney transplant as her condition worsened.
Doctors said the pig kidney was removed on April 4, and Looney was discharged just five days later. “She is back home in Alabama doing well,” the hospital confirmed. She remains eligible to receive a human kidney in the future.
