In a groundbreaking medical experiment, a pig kidney was successfully transplanted into a human and functioned normally for two months. This is the longest a genetically modified pig kidney has ever functioned inside a human, albeit a deceased one. The experiment, conducted by surgeons at NYU Langone Health, was a major step forward in the field of xenotransplantation, which is the transplantation of organs from animals to humans.

Xenotransplantation has been a goal of medical science for decades, as it could potentially help to alleviate the shortage of human organs available for transplant. However, xenotransplantation has been plagued by challenges, including the human immune system's rejection of foreign tissue.

The NYU Langone Health team addressed this challenge by using a genetically modified pig kidney. The kidney was modified to remove genes that trigger an immune response in humans, and to add genes that make the kidney more compatible with the human body.

The kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead man who had agreed to donate his body for the experiment. The kidney functioned normally for two months, producing urine and filtering waste products from the blood. The researchers also found that the pig kidney responded to human hormones and excreted antibiotics in the same way as a human kidney.

While the experiment was successful, it is important to note that it was conducted in a deceased person. The next step is to test pig kidneys in living humans, which is more challenging due to the risk of organ rejection. However, the results of the NYU Langone Health experiment are a promising sign that xenotransplantation may one day be a viable option for patients with end-stage organ disease.