Tim Andrews, a 66-year-old man suffering from end-stage kidney disease caused by type 2 diabetes, has become the first person to successfully use a genetically modified pig kidney as a bridge to a human transplant. The organ, sourced from a pig called Wilma, kept Andrews off dialysis for a record nine months.
Andrews received the gene-edited kidney on January 25, 2025. At the time, he faced a dire medical outlook, with only a 9% chance of receiving a human kidney within five years and a more than 40% risk of dying or being removed from the waiting list.
In 2026, Andrews became the first known patient to receive a human donor kidney after previously receiving a pig kidney transplant. This world first suggests that gene-edited pig kidneys could provide a critical lifeline for other patients stuck waiting for human donors.