A patient at Massachusetts General Hospital has lived with a genetically modified pig kidney for 285 days without needing dialysis, setting a new record for the longest a human has survived with a transplanted pig organ. The milestone, reported by biotech firm eGenesis, underscores growing evidence that gene-edited pig kidneys could ease the severe shortage of human donor organs and reduce the physical toll of long-term dialysis while patients wait for a transplant.

The woman received her transplant on 22 November last year and is the fifth person to receive an eGenesis kidney under the US Food and Drug Administration's expanded access pathway for experimental treatments. The previous record of 271 days was set by Tim Andrews, whose pig kidney was later removed after his kidney function declined; he has since received a human transplant, as has a second patient who carried a pig kidney for eight months. A Lancet paper published alongside the announcement found Andrews' organ failed due to small blood clots, insight eGenesis says is shaping adjustments to immunosuppressant regimes. More than 95,000 people are on the US kidney waiting list, yet fewer than 28,000 transplants were carried out in 2025; the FDA has approved a formal trial of up to 33 patients from 2027, with further individual transplants planned before then.