Tim Andrews recently had his pig kidney removed after almost 9 months of living with it. He and Wilma, the kidney named after the pig who provided it, are considered a big success in xenotransplantation. The kidney was provided by eGenesis, which used CRISPR to modify the genes, like allowing it to disable viruses that are harmful to humans. They had also changed genes for the organ to be more compatible with the human body in order to lessen the odds of organ rejection.
Many others have gone through this procedure; some sadly passed shortly after receiving the organ, but others were able to live for months until the body rejected it and the organ had to be removed. Tim Andrews was able to set a record for living the longest with a genetically modified organ transplanted from a different species, which shows improvements as time goes on. He ended up having to remove the organ due to a decrease in function, but it helps bring hope for those who are patiently waiting for an organ.
There is a big organ donation shortage, with an ever-growing list of people who need a transplant to live. The ability to genetically modify organs of other species would help tremendously in helping those who need the organ get it in time. Once they can increase the amount of time it takes for the body to reject the organ, I believe that this could be a great help for those who would need immediate surgery until they can find a human donor that matches. This would be able to give time for the patient to live for months or years until a human organ is found, which could take months that they now have.
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