United States woman from New Jersey and the second individual ever to receive a transplanted gene-edited pig kidney, Lisa Pisano, has died nearly three months after undergoing this pioneering organ transplant procedure.
NYU Langone Health in New York reported her death on Sunday, noting that the transplanted kidney had been removed on May 29 due to inadequate blood flow caused by heart medications.
Pisano, 54, had been battling both kidney and heart failure. She received the pig kidney on April 12, shortly after having a mechanical heart pump implanted on April 4, marking the first instance of combining these two medical technologies in a single patient, according to NYU Langone Health surgeons.
Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, Dr. Robert Montgomery, expressed deep appreciation for Pisano’s contribution to medical science.
“Lisa’s contributions to medicine, surgery and xenotransplantation cannot be overstated,” he said. “Her bravery gave hope to thousands of people living with end-stage kidney or heart failure who could soon benefit from an alternative supply of organs.”
Prior to Pisano, Richard Slayman, 62, was the first person to receive a gene-edited pig kidney.
Slayman, who underwent the transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, passed away in May, nearly two months post-surgery.
He had been released from the hospital two weeks after the procedure, having been freed from the need for dialysis.
Both pig kidney transplants were authorized under the FDA’s expanded access program, designed for patients facing life-threatening conditions.
The National Kidney Foundation reports that nearly 90,000 people are on the national kidney transplant waitlist, with end-stage kidney disease rates projected to rise significantly by 2030.
Pisano was deemed ineligible for a human kidney transplant due to high levels of harmful antibodies.
Her doctors indicated that finding a human match could have taken years. The gene-edited pig kidney, developed by United Therapeutics Corp., was engineered to block a gene responsible for producing a sugar called alpha-gal, which can cause antibody reactions and kidney rejection.
Additionally, the pig’s thymus gland was transplanted to aid in preventing rejection.
Despite the challenges, Pisano remained hopeful about the potential success of her transplant, even as she acknowledged her uncertain prognosis.
“Lisa helped bring us closer to realizing a future where someone does not have to die for another person to live,” Dr. Montgomery said. “She will forever be remembered for her courage and good nature.”
