"World's Only Person": An American woman lives with a pig kidney and has set a new record.

An American woman has set a record by living with a transplanted pig kidney for 61 days. This was reported on January 26 by Sky News.

53-year-old Tovana Looney underwent an experimental transplant in November. Before that, she had been on the waiting list for nearly 8 years, hoping to find a suitable kidney. In 1999, she donated one of her kidneys to her mother. However, a few years later, complications during her own pregnancy led to kidney failure.

Now, Looney feels like a "superwoman." She shared that during long walks, she even outpaces her relatives. The patient left the hospital just 11 days after the surgery but spent another month in New York under medical supervision. After that, she returned home to Alabama.

"If you saw her on the street, you wouldn't even guess that she is the only person in the world walking around with a functioning pig organ inside," said Dr. Robert Montgomery from NYU Langone Health, who led the transplant.

According to him, Looney's new kidney is functioning "absolutely normally." However, due to the success of the surgery, doctors have found themselves in uncharted territory.

"The truth is, we really don't know what the next hurdles will be because we've never gone this far before. We will have to continue to monitor her closely," Montgomery explained.

It is noted that pig organs could help address the acute shortage of organs available for transplant. In the UK alone, about 7,500 people are waiting for surgery, and more than 415 patients did not get their chance for a new life last year. In the U.S., the transplant waiting list exceeds 100,000 people, most of whom need kidneys.

"This is a blessing. I feel like I've been given another chance at life. I can't wait to travel again and spend more quality time with my family and grandchildren," Looney shared.

American hospitals are exchanging information on what has worked and what hasn't. Medical professionals are preparing for the world's first official xenotransplantation studies, which are set to begin later this year.

"Tovana represents the culmination of the progress we've made in xenotransplantation since we performed the first operation in 2021. She serves as a beacon of hope for those struggling with kidney failure," Montgomery emphasized.

According to Medical Express, four other Americans have also undergone experimental transplants. Patients received two pig hearts and two kidneys, but none survived for more than two months.

Scientists are genetically modifying pigs to make their organs resemble human ones. Dr. Tetsuo Kawai from Massachusetts General Hospital, who performed the world's first pig kidney transplant last year, stated that Looney was much healthier than the other recipients. Her progress is expected to provide valuable information for future attempts.

Looney spent 8 years on dialysis. When doctors found that she had developed a super high level of antibodies, abnormally ready to attack another human kidney, she decided to participate in the experiment. About three weeks after the surgery, doctors detected barely noticeable signs of rejection, but after successful treatment, no such signs were observed again. It is currently impossible to predict how long the American woman's new kidney will last, but in case of failure, she can return to dialysis.

It is worth noting that in late April 2024, there were reports of a successful transplant of a mechanical heart pump with a genetically modified pig kidney. Patient Lisa Pisano suffered from severe heart failure and end-stage kidney disease, and dialysis was no longer effective for her.

A 40-year-old man from India resorted to a crime to have the authorities recognize him as alive. His appeals to village elders and government officials yielded no results, so he decided to take radical action and went to a local school with a knife.

This material is for informational purposes only and does not contain advice that may affect your health. If you are experiencing problems, please consult a specialist.