Successful Transplantation of Pig Heart into Two Brain Dead Patients

A team at NYU Langone Health has successfully transplanted pig hearts into two brain-dead humans on life support; the heart functioning was normal for three days.

The experiment showed that the genetically altered pig heart could be a viable transplantation alternative for people with life-threatening cardiovascular disease. This advancement will soon address worldwide to combat the organ shortage.

The surgery took several hours, and no signs of early rejection were observed in either organ. The heart functioned normally for three days with just standard post-transplant medication and without additional medical support. As the experiment ended after three days, the patients were taken off life support. Dr. Nader Moazami, director of heart transplantation surgery for NYU Langone’s Division of Heart and Lung Transplantation, said that the experiment aims to create a pig heart that can be transplanted using medications and techniques similar to the procedures used to implant donated human hearts.

The hearts were procured from pigs that had undergone ten genetic modifications. Four pig gene alterations were made to prevent rejection and abnormal organ growth. Six human genes were counted to make the hearts more compatible with human biology. The doctors also announced that if progress continues with the NYU Langone’s procedure, the first transplantation of a genetically altered pig heart into a live human could occur by 2025.