Kidney Intelligence

The Expand Transplant Trial has begun at NYU Langone!

A groundbreaking step in transplant medicine!
The first clinical trial (the EXPAND study) using a gene-edited pig kidney (the “UKidney”) has begun at NYU Langone Health, offering new hope for patients with end-stage kidney disease. The procedure marks the ninth xenotransplant surgery performed by NYU Langone Transplant Institute and orchestrated by Dr. Robert Montgomery, who has spent much of his career studying innovative approaches to expanding the organ supply.
This experimental kidney has 10 genetic edits; 6 human genes added to improve acceptance and 4 pig genes inactivated to reduce rejection and overgrowth. No details about the patient who received this latest transplant have been released at this point.
If successful, this could one day end the organ shortage crisis, giving patients an alternative to life on dialysis.
The study will follow recipients closely for safety, kidney function, and quality of life over 24 weeks, and then long-term for life.
It’s still early, but it’s a remarkable milestone toward an amazing future in transplantation.

When Jon Montgomery needed a kidney and a liver transplant, his sons offered to be his donors — now they're grateful to be able to spend the holiday together. Both brothers emphasize that their dad did not ask them for anything — becoming a donor was something they wanted to do.
“There was no question," Christopher, a 24-year-old dental student at the University of Pittsburgh. "I want to keep him around as long as I can...I want him to know my children. I couldn't imagine life without him."
Both brothers are thankful that they matched their dad.
A life-saving double transplant was performed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“They're a very remarkable family,” says Dr. Abhinav Humar, Chief of Transplantation at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “A very close-knit family where the sons are obviously willing to do anything for their father.”
A lot to be thankful for!