Alabama Woman Sets Record for Longest Survival with Pig Organ Transplant

An Alabama woman, Towana Looney, who is the only living recipient of a pig organ transplant, reached a significant milestone on Saturday by becoming the longest-living individual with a functioning pig organ.

At 53 years old, Looney remains healthy and energetic, having reached the record 61-day mark with her pig kidney.

“I’m superwoman,” Looney told The Associated Press. “It’s a new take on life.”

Looney is one of only four people in the U.S. to undergo experimental transplants of gene-edited pig organs. While two other patients received hearts, two others received kidneys, none survived beyond two months.

“If you saw her on the street, you would have no idea that she’s the only person in the world walking around with a pig organ inside them that’s functioning,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery of NYU Langone Health, who led the transplant.

According to Montgomery, Looney’s kidney functions “absolutely normal,” and she is temporarily living in New York for post-transplant checkups. Her doctors hope she can return to her home in Gadsden, Alabama, in about a month.

“We’re quite optimistic that this is going to continue to work and work well for a significant period of time,” Montgomery added.

The process of genetically altering pigs to produce more human-like organs is a response to the severe shortage of available human organs for transplants. Over 100,000 individuals are currently on the U.S. transplant list, with the majority needing kidneys, causing thousands to die while waiting.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits pig organ transplants only under specific circumstances for patients with no other alternatives.

Dr. Tatsuo Kawai of Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the world’s first pig kidney transplant last year, noted that Looney’s progress serves as a "very precious experience" for future transplant attempts.

Looney previously donated a kidney to her mother in 1999 and faced pregnancy complications that resulted in high blood pressure, damaging her remaining kidney. After eight years on dialysis, doctors deemed her unlikely to receive a donated human kidney due to exceptionally high antibody levels that could attack a transplanted organ.

Seeking alternatives, Looney chose to participate in the pig organ study, despite uncertainties surrounding her highly sensitized condition.

Since her transplant on November 25, Montgomery’s team has monitored her recovery closely. They had detected early signs of rejection about three weeks post-transplant, allowing them to intervene successfully. Since then, there have been no signs of rejection.

The future of Looney’s kidney remains uncertain, but should it fail, she has the option of returning to dialysis.

“The truth is we don’t really know what the next hurdles are because this is the first time we’ve gotten this far,” Montgomery said. “We’ll have to continue to really keep a close eye on her.”