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Pig Organs for Human Patients: A New Frontier

  • Writer: Minseo Kim
    Minseo Kim
  • Sep 1
  • 1 min read

Sep 1, 2025

Minseo Kim



In the movie Five Feet Apart, two teenagers with cystic fibrosis wait desperately for a lung transplant. Their struggle is not far from reality. By the end of 2024, more than 54,000 people in South Korea were on the waiting list for an organ, but fewer than 400 donors were available.


The shortage has inspired researchers to pursue xenotransplantation—the transfer of organs from animals to humans. Pigs have become the leading candidate because their organs are comparable in size and function. Using advanced gene-editing tools, scientists can remove pig genes that trigger rejection and introduce human-compatible ones. These edited pigs are raised under sterile conditions, offering a potential supply of transplant-ready organs.


Results so far are mixed. Early patients often survived only days, but newer procedures have extended survival to months. In 2024, a woman in the United States lived four months with a transplanted pig kidney before returning to dialysis. Such cases suggest that xenotransplants could serve as a temporary lifeline, buying time until human organs are found.


Still, concerns about cross-species viruses and ethical questions remain unresolved. Xenotransplantation stands at a crossroads—between a groundbreaking possibility and unpredictable risk.



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