Despite the ongoing challenge of finding donors for kidney transplants, hope for a new approach is emerging in the near future. In the United States, one patient was successfully transplanted with a genetically modified pig kidney. This individual lived with this kidney for 271 days without needing dialysis, although they later received a human kidney transplant. Nevertheless, this case is considered the longest successful instance of pig kidney transplantation in a living human.
Inspired by this example, work has also begun in this area in India. Sar Angaram Hospital in Delhi has established a specialized xenotransplantation department. Concurrently, the Ministry of Health of India is developing relevant guidelines for this field. The opening of such a department at the hospital offers hope for the possibility of pig kidney transplantation to humans in India.
The country faces a massive organ shortage, including kidneys, with a relatively small number of donors. As of March 2026, approximately 89,839 people were on the national organ waiting list. In 2025, India conducted 20,138 organ transplants, which is the highest figure to date. In 2024, 13,476 kidney transplants were performed: 11,558 from living donors and 1,918 from deceased donors. Therefore, scientists aim to reduce dependence on human donors in the future by utilizing animal organs. Work is underway for pig kidney transplantation into humans for this purpose.
For xenotransplantation, not ordinary pig kidneys are used, but specially prepared animals whose genes are modified. Scientists employ gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 to remove genes that could trigger a strong human immune response. In some cases, human genes capable of regulating processes like immune response, blood clotting, and overall system function are also added. Pigs are considered important because the size of their organs is close to the size of human organs.
A xenotransplantation department has been launched at Sar Angaram Hospital in Delhi. Dr. Shekhar Tripathi, who joined this department as director and is affiliated with Thomas E. Starzl Transplant Institute in America, told India today.in that the preparation process for surgery begins long before the procedure itself. According to him, pigs are the best option because the size of their organs closely matches human organ sizes, they can be rapidly grown, their genetic material can be modified, and they are easy to manage during procedures. There has been rapid growth in this field in recent years, and research groups and biotechnology companies are developing increasingly sophisticated pigs with edited genes.