NYU’s Pig Heart Trials Make History Again
In a daring new move, surgeons at New York University (NYU) have successfully transplanted genetically engineered pig hearts into two brain‑dead patients, bringing us nearer to a future where pig parts might fill the big organ shortage crisis.
It All Happened in 72 Hours
- The pig hearts worked out of the box—no rejection, no drama.
- Three‑day experiments in June and July gave the team a “real‑time read‑out” of the hearts, thanks to the brain‑dead status, which allowed frequent biopsies.
- All the steps—harvest, transport, operation, and immune suppression—were done the same way as a normal human heart transplant.
Why This Is So Big
The story builds on a landmark in 2021 when a 57‑year‑old man became the first person to receive a genetically modified pig heart (at the University of Maryland). He sadly didn’t survive—researchers still don’t know exactly why his heart failed. One suspect? A pig virus that showed up in his blood.
That’s why NYU went extra hard this time. They used hearts from a company called Revivicor, screened them with an enhanced protocol to triple‑check for any pig viruses, and made sure no porcine cytomegalovirus was present.
In addition to the usual four genetic changes that keep the organ from being rejected and from overgrowing, the pigs also have six more tweaks to reduce incompatibilities between pig and human biology.
Lessons Learned from the Brain‑Dead Trials
“With brain‑dead recipients, we can conduct tests more often, so we get a huge amount of detail in that 72‑hour window,” says Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute and a heart transplant recipient himself.
Dr. Nader Moazami, surgical director of heart transplantation at NYU Langone, emphasizes the goal: “We want to use everyday transplant practices, but with a non‑human organ that is reliable and doesn’t need untested gadgets or drugs.”
Next Steps and a Few Unanswered Questions
The experiments produced promising preliminary data, but the pathway to actual human trials still has many twists. “There are plenty of questions left to answer before we start testing pig hearts in living patients,” Moazami notes.
Until then, the brain‑dead trials serve as a playground for doctors to refine techniques and understand the intricacies of xenotransplantation—an exciting step in a field that could one day change the way we treat those waiting for organs.
