Pig kidney transplant touted as major success

It’s being hailed as a major medical success that could change the future of organ transplants.

Researchers at NYU Langone transferred a gene-edited pig kidney into a human being. It’s the third time this has happened, but the first time the kidney has functioned for more than a month.

The transplant patient was a brain-dead man whose sister says his legacy will help many people live. They plan to monitor the patient another month.

Researchers hope it will lead to a breakthrough in animal-to-human organ transplants at a time when over 100,000 Americans are in need of one, including over 90,000 who need kidneys.