For the first time in history, a successful experiment has been performed on a human kidney transplant.
According to the US news channel CNN, a pig's kidney was transplanted into a human at the Langone Health Center of New York University, which was not immediately rejected by the immune system.
Throughout the process, pigs with genetically modified pigs were used to remove molecules in their tissues that trigger an immediate response.
The pig's kidney was transplanted into a brain dead patient whose own kidney had already failed. Before removing the patient from life support, the family allowed the patient to be tested.
For three days, the kidney was attached to the patient's blood vessels and kept out of the body for researchers to access.
Transplant surgeon Dr. Robert Montgomery said: "The results of the kidney transplant show that it is working normally.
"The kidneys are producing urine at a normal rate," the doctor said.
It is estimated that about 170,000 people in the United States are waiting for an organ transplant, while more than 90,000 patients are waiting for a kidney transplant. It takes at least three to five years to get a kidney transplant.
