How a family’s choice to donate body for pig kidney research could help change transplants

Mary Miller-Duffy, left, sits next to her wife, Sue Duffy, in their home in Newburgh, N.Y., on Aug. 2, 2023. Research with her brother-in-law's body has changed Sue's outlook on organ donation. “Maybe I don’t need all my organs when I go to heaven,” she says. “Before I was a hard no. ... Now I’m a hard yes.” NEW YORK — Mary Miller-Duffy was dazed and grieving. Her brother suddenly collapsed and days later was brain-dead.

Remarkably, over a month later the new organ is performing all the bodily functions of a healthy kidney — the longest a pig kidney has ever worked in a person. Now the countdown is on to see if the kidney can last into September, a second month. Flipping through family photos, Miller-Duffy recalled how her brother would adopt animals and once took care of a terminally ill friend. Still, she had questions.

One twist: Tacked onto the pig’s kidney was its thymus, a gland that trains immune cells — and thus might help protect the organ.First, what pig to use: Some have up to 10 genetic changes but Montgomery is betting one is enough — removal of a single porcine gene that triggers an immediate immune attack.

The first few weeks, Griesemer checked lab test results and vital signs multiple times a day: “You’re like, OK, hopefully things are still good — but is this the day it starts to turn?”

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