Pig Kidney Transplants: The 2025 Breakthrough That Changed Everything

In 2025, we crossed a historic threshold. Multiple humans survived more than six months with gene-edited pig kidneys functioning inside them, in both the United States and China.

For the 100,000 Americans waiting for a kidney right now, this matters.

In this episode, I break down:

• What actually happened with the Massachusetts General Hospital patient who lived 271 days with a pig kidney
• Why is six months the critical survival benchmark in transplantation
• The 69 gene edits that made these kidneys human-compatible
• What the 2024 animal studies predicted — and how human data confirmed it
• The formal clinical trials now underway
• What still stands in the way: rejection, infection risk, and limited access

This is not a cure. Pig kidneys still require lifelong immunosuppression. But for patients who have run out of options — older dialysis patients, highly sensitized patients, those without living donors — this is the first real alternative we have seen in decades.

I give you my honest assessment of where xenotransplantation stands today.

Dr. Sean Hashmi is a board-certified Nephrologist and Obesity Medicine Specialist.

Subscribe to the newsletter: selfprinciple.org/newsletterYouTube: youtube.com/@SeanHashmiMD

Practice kindness and gratitude.