Big medical breakthrough: Pig kidneys can work in humans
14 Nov 2025

Doctors at NYU Langone Health have made a major breakthrough in the field of organ transplantation.

Their recent studies indicate that pig kidneys could potentially be used for human transplants in the future.

The research is aimed at overcoming the challenges posed by the body's natural tendency to reject foreign organs during cross-species transplants, also known as xenotransplantation.

Xenotransplantation: A potential solution to organ shortage
Transplant challenges

The shortage of human organs for transplantation has been a long-standing issue, especially for kidneys.

In the US alone, over 90,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant.

Dialysis can keep end-stage kidney disease patients alive but is only a temporary solution.

This has prompted scientists to explore xenotransplantation as a potential alternative to human organ transplants.

Overcoming immune system rejection in organ transplants
Immune response

A major hurdle in xenotransplantation is the human body's immune system, which can be overly aggressive.

It can't tell between harmful foreign objects like viruses and beneficial ones such as donor organs.

When either enters the body, the immune system goes into overdrive, sending antibodies to attack what it perceives as a threat.

These antibodies can damage the donor organ and lead to transplant failure.

NYU's successful pig kidney transplant into a brain-dead patient
Breakthrough case

In a groundbreaking study, doctors at NYU Langone Health successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into Maurice Miller, a 57-year-old man who was brain-dead due to a mass in his brain.

The transplant was done with the consent of Miller's family as he had always wanted to donate his organs but couldn't due to cancer.

His body was kept on life support for two months during which regular biopsies were done on the new organ.

Immune response mapping and future research plans
Next steps

The doctors were able to map how Miller's immune system responded to the pig organ and the pathways it used to reject it.

They also mapped 5,100 expressed pig and human genes and identified every immune cell in the body to track immune behavior at this uniquely granular level.

Now, with funding in hand, they plan to test these techniques on 20 more patients.