Who Is Lisa Pisano, New Jersey Woman Gets Pig Kidney Transplant And Heart Pump?

Lisa Pisano underwent a groundbreaking kidney transplant using a genetically modified pig organ after receiving a mechanical heart pump to stabilize her failing heart.

Pisano's combination of heart and kidney failure rendered her too sick to qualify for a traditional transplant, prompting doctors at NYU Langone Health to devise a novel approach: implanting a mechanical pump to sustain her heart function, followed by the transplantation of a kidney from a genetically modified pig days later.

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Who Is Lisa Pisano?

Pisano's recovery progress was announced by the NYU team on Wednesday, highlighting her as only the second patient to receive a pig kidney, following a landmark transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital. This breakthrough represents the latest in a series of attempts to advance animal-to-human transplantation efforts, as reported by Hindustan Times citing Reuters.

This week, Pisano, aged 54, took her first steps with the aid of a walker, marking a significant milestone in her recovery journey. The organ immediately began producing urine in the operating room, eliciting cheers from the surgical team, according to Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of NYU Langone Transplant Institute.

Dr. Nader Moazami, the NYU cardiac surgeon who performed the heart pump implantation, cautioned that more progress is needed despite the transformative early results observed. Pisano's husband, Todd, expressed joy at the prospect of seeing his wife smile again following the surgery, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Other transplant experts are closely monitoring Pisano's recovery progress. Dr. Tatsuo Kawai of Mass General, who oversaw a similar pig kidney transplant, commended the NYU team's achievements, noting the challenges associated with performing kidney transplants in patients with poor heart function.

More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are on the transplant waiting list, with the majority in need of a kidney, and thousands perish while waiting. To address the shortage of donated organs, biotech companies are genetically modifying pigs to render their organs more compatible with humans and less susceptible to immune rejection.

NYU and other research teams have conducted promising experiments by temporarily transplanting pig kidneys and hearts into brain-dead bodies. However, previous attempts, such as the University of Maryland's pig heart transplants, resulted in the death of recipients within months, as per media reports.

Pisano, the first woman to receive a pig organ, faced significant challenges as both her heart and kidneys had failed, leading to cardiac arrest before the experimental surgeries. Montgomery elaborated on the decision-making process that led to the combination of a heart pump and a pig kidney, likening it to navigating a maze without a clear path.

Emergency permission from the Food and Drug Administration enabled Montgomery to select an organ from a genetically engineered pig, developed by United Therapeutics Corp., to mitigate immediate organ rejection. In a unique approach, the donor pig's thymus gland, responsible for training the immune system, was attached to the transplanted kidney to aid Pisano's body in tolerating the new organ, as reported by Reuters.

The LVAD was implanted to support Pisano's heart function on April 4, followed by the pig kidney transplant on April 12. While her long-term prognosis remains uncertain, Montgomery noted that Pisano has not exhibited signs of organ rejection thus far. Moazami highlighted the valuable lessons learned in adjusting the LVAD to accommodate the new kidney, which could inform future care for heart and kidney patients.

Special "compassionate use" experiments have yielded significant insights, yet rigorous studies are necessary to establish the efficacy of xenotransplants. The outcomes of Pisano's case and Mass General's kidney recipient will undoubtedly influence the FDA's decision on permitting such trials, with United Therapeutics aiming to initiate one next year, as per media reports.