A woman who received a pig kidney transplant at a New York hospital in April and had to have the organ removed 47 days later has died, a surgeon said on Tuesday.
Lisa Pisano, 54, became the second person to receive a transplant from a genetically modified pig kidney to improve compatibility between the animal and human recipient.
A New Jersey woman was also the first to receive a heart transplant and a heart pump because she suffered from kidney and heart failure, but less than two months after the surgery, the new kidney had to be removed because it was affected by irregular blood flow associated with the pacemaker, forcing her to go back on dialysis.
“Lisa’s contributions to medicine, surgery and xenotransplantation (using organs from other species) cannot be underestimated. Her courage has given hope to thousands of people living with end-stage renal or heart failure who could soon benefit from alternative organ supplies,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery, who operated on her.
The first person to receive a kidney from a genetically modified pig was 62-year-old Richard Slayman in Massachusetts in March, but he died two months later.
Kidneys are one of the most in-demand organs in U.S. transplant units, with about 800,000 people in need of an organ.