Health · 4 September 2026
Pig kidney worked for 271 days in a human, a new record
Illustration: AI-generated for editorial context. Not photographic evidence.
US doctors report a pig kidney worked for 271 days inside a patient, Tim Andrews, setting a new record for xenotransplantation. Researchers at Mass General Brigham hospital suggest pig organs might serve as a "bridge" until human transplants are ready. However, the pig kidney eventually failed and was removed, with Andrews then receiving a human donor organ.
Reported by bbc.co.uk · How we write briefs