Towana Looney is still thriving after receiving a pig organ transplant, making history in the process. She is the fifth patient to receive a gene-edited pig organ since 2022 and the third living human to undergo a pig kidney transplant. None of the previous recipients survived beyond two months.
The Alabama woman, who is now considered the longest-living recipient of an animal-to-human transplant, is reportedly “healthy and full of energy” 61 days after receiving the transplant, according to the Associated Press.
The 53-year-old, who said she’s “superwoman,” told the outlet, “It’s a new take on life.”
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Dr. Robert Montgomery of NYU Langone Health, who led Looney’s transplant, praised her remarkable progress, describing her kidney function as “absolutely normal.”
He said, “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.”
Doctors are optimistic about Looney’s recovery and hope she can return to her home in Gadsden, Alabama, in approximately one month. She has been in New York for some time now for post-transplant checkups.
Montgomery shared his confidence in her continued improvement, stating, “We’re quite optimistic that this is going to continue to work and work well for, you know, a significant period of time.”
Looney’s journey began after her remaining kidney failed due to complications from pregnancy, following her donation of a kidney to her mother in 1999. The damage and eventual failure of her kidney left her with grown antibodies that were abnormally able to attack another human kidney. Tests revealed that she would reject any kidney donated by donors.
In November, Looney underwent the pig transplant, and by December, she was reportedly “recuperating well.” She was discharged from the hospital just 11 days after the surgery. Speaking about her experience, she said, “It’s like a new beginning. The energy I had was amazing. To have a working kidney — and to feel it — is unbelievable.”
Although Looney acknowledged the uncertainty of the procedure, she said, “You don’t know if it’s going to work or not until you try.”
Looney’s case has provided hope for advancements in the field.
She is currently making an effort to assist others by acting as what Montgomery refers to as an advocate for those who have been contacting her on social media to express their anguish over the protracted transplant waiting list and their concerns over pig kidneys.
One, she said, was being considered for a xenotransplant at another hospital but was scared, wondering whether to proceed.
She recounted, “I didn’t want to persuade him whether to do or not to do it.” Instead she asked if he was religious and urged him to prayer, to “go off your faith, what your heart tells you.”
“I love talking to people, I love helping people,” she expressed. “I want to be, like, some educational piece” for scientists to help others.
The use of pig organs in human transplantation is part of an innovative solution to address the shortage of human organs. Scientists are working to genetically modify pigs to make their organs more similar to human ones. According to the AP, over 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the transplant waiting list, with many of them in need of a kidney.
There’s no way to predict how long Looney’s new kidney will work but if it were to fail, she could receive dialysis again.
Montgomery revealed, “The truth is we don’t really know what the next hurdles are because this is the first time we’ve gotten this far. We’ll have to continue to really keep a close eye on her.”
