Will animal-to-human organ transplants overcome their complicated history?

A ‘breakthrough’ heart surgery earned acclaim, but it’s not clear how long the organ will work

doctors performing a pig-to-human kidney transplant surgery

In 2021, doctors at NYU Langone Transplant Institute transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a person who was clinically brain-dead to test how the human immune system would respond to the organ.

Joe Carrotta for NYU Langone Health

Editor’s note: After surviving for two months with a transplanted pig heart, David Bennett died March 8.