US Surgeons Transplant Pig Kidney In Brain Dead Human In 61 Day Experiment

Doctors in America have achieved a new feat by implanting a pig's kidney in a brain dead person. This surgery took 61 days, which is a record in itself. Such a long surgery had never been done before. This kidney is said to be genetically modified, that is, it was implanted after making changes in it at the genetic level. Let us know about this special surgery and why it is considered important for the medical field.

You must have often heard about kidney transplant. We know that a kidney from one person can be transplanted into another person. According to NDTV, doctors in America have succeeded in implanting a pig kidney in a brain dead man. This surgery is of great importance because it has now opened the doors for organ transplant between animals and humans.

A brain dead person is a person who has no brain consciousness. Such a person is declared legally dead because he cannot breathe without any support. That means their breathing depends on machines. Therefore, the bodies of such people are often donated for science experiments.

According to the report, more than 1 lakh people in America are waiting for transplant. There are 88,000 people who need someone's kidney. In such a situation, successfully transplanting a pig's kidney into a human being can be called a big achievement. Robert Montgomery, director of the New York University Langone Transplant Institute, said that he learned a lot during this surgery and it brings new hope for the future.

The pig kidney used for this was brought from Virginia-based biotech company Revivicor. These pigs are born here through natural process and not through cloning. Earlier in 1984, a baboon heart was transplanted into a newborn baby. But he could survive only for 20 days.

Currently, doctors are paying more attention to pigs because science believes that the organs of pigs can prove to be more effective for humans. Their size, ability to grow quickly etc. make them worth it. A pig heart was transplanted into a human for the first time in January 2022 at the University of Maryland Medical School. That person was able to stay alive for two months. After that he died.