Woman Who Received World’s First Pig Kidney Dies at 54

Lisa Pisano (54), who was the recipient of the first-ever gene-edited pig kidney transplant and heart pump, died on July 7th.

Pisano traveled to the NYU Langone Transplant Institute for her surgery.  

Pisano was rejected for a human organ transplant due to her treatment for heart and renal failure.

According to reports, the procedures included a pig kidney transplant on April 12 and the implantation of an assist device for the left ventricle on April 4. However, problems developed, and the pig kidney was removed 47 days later because it was obstructing her blood flow. Dr. Robert Montgomery, who heads the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, still lauded Pisano for her contributions to medical science despite the setback.

They will always remember her for her legacy.

Pisano, who was in the last stages of renal illness and had regular dialysis treatments, declared in an interview that she had a glimmer of hope that her condition might improve.

In April, Pisano told the media that she was done and that It was too much for her to climb steps, drive, and play with her grandchildren. So she wasted no time seizing the chance that presented itself.

Over 104,000 individuals are on the waiting list for a transplant in the US, with over 80% of them requiring a kidney. This indicates a serious organ scarcity. Pisano’s case is the second time Massachusetts General Hospital implanted a gene-edited pig kidney in a live human.

As is common with cross-species transplants, the genetically engineered pig kidney was engineered to evade the human body’s rapid rejection. The gene that normally stimulates an instant immunological response, alpha-gal sugar, was knocked off as part of the change, according to reports.

An allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) occurs when a person has an adverse reaction to the sugar alpha-gal, which is present in the tissues of every mammalian species, with the exception of humans and primates.

As Montgomery pointed out, it is because of Pisano’s courage that we may hope for the possibility of organ transplants in the future.

According to CBS News, Montgomery said that Lisa had helped bring about a future in which one person’s death would not be necessary for another’s survival.