Groundbreaking: Black Woman Makes History as First to Receive Pig Kidney Transplant

Dr. Jayme Locke, Towana Looney, and Dr. Robert Montgomery Credit: Mateo Salcedo/NYU Langone Health A Black woman from Alabama who had been on dialysis for several years is recovering well after a groundbreaking medical procedure involving a pig’s organ, according to the doctors who performed the surgery. After a successful surgery at NYU Langone Health in New York City, Towana Looney made history as the only person in the world currently living with a pig organ. Doctors at NYU Langone Health said the gene-edited pig kidney transplant was necessary because Looney had been suffering from kidney failure and on dialysis for eight years. The 53-year-old is now recovering well, according to a press release from the medical center. She was briefly readmitted to adjust her medications, news sources reported. “It’s a blessing,” Looney said. “I feel like I’ve been given another chance at life. I cannot wait to be able to travel again and spend more quality time with my family and grandchildren.” The pig kidney used in her transplant had undergone 10 genetic modifications to make it compatible with human recipients, the press release stated. This procedure, known as xenotransplantation, is still experimental but has shown promising results.  Looney’s...