MD Company Behind Successful Pig-To-Human Kidney Transplant

SILVER SPRING, MD — A New Jersey woman has become the latest person to successfully receive a pig organ via transplant thanks to technology developed by a Mayland-based therapeutics company.

On April 12, 54-year-old Lisa Pisano received what's called a xenothymokidney, a kidney that also contains tissue from the pig's thymus, Silver Spring-based United Therapeutics Corp. announced Wednesday.

Additionally, doctors at NYU Langone Health implanted a mechanical pump to keep her Pisano's beating.

Pisano is only the second patient ever to receive a pig kidney — following a landmark transplant last month at Massachusetts General Hospital — and the latest in a string of attempts to make animal-to-human transplantation a reality.

"(Pisano) suffers from heart and kidney failure," United Therapeutics said in a statement. "The combination of several chronic medical conditions, coupled with a lack of available human organs for transplant, prevented her from qualifying for human heart and kidney transplants."

The organ received by Pisano was developed by Virginia-based Revivicor Inc., a United Therapeutics subsidiary.

More than 100,000 people are on the United States transplant waiting list. Most need a kidney, and thousands die waiting.

In hopes of filling the shortage of donated organs, biotech companies genetically modify pigs so their organs are more humanlike and less likely to be destroyed by people's immune systems.

NYU and other research teams have temporarily transplanted pig kidneys and hearts into brain-dead bodies, with promising results. Then the University of Maryland transplanted pig hearts into two men who were out of other options, and both died within months.

Mass General's pig kidney transplant last month raised new hopes. Richard "Rick" Slayman experienced an early rejection scare but bounced back enough to go home earlier this month and still is faring well five weeks post-transplant. A recent biopsy showed no further problems.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.