For over a month, a pig's kidney that was transplanted into a human body has worked normally — a step surgeons hope can one day lead to using this type of operation to save patients' lives.

A pig kidney worked in the body of a brain-dead man for over a month, according to scientists. This is a critical step toward animal-human organ transplants.

Now researchers are using pigs genetically modified so their organs better match human bodies. Surgeons at NYU Langone Health prepare a pig's kidney for transplant in New York on July 14.

Pig kidney works in a donated body for over a month, a step toward animal-human transplants The latest experiment announced Wednesday by NYU Langone Health marks the longest a pig kidney has ...

Surgeons transplanted a pig’s kidney into a brain-dead man and for over a month it’s worked normally — a critical step toward an operation the New York team hopes to eventually tr… ...

One other trick: Surgeons attached the pig’s thymus to the transplanted kidney in hopes that the gland, which helps train immune cells, would increase human tolerance of the organ.

One other trick: Surgeons attached the pig’s thymus to the transplanted kidney in hopes that the gland, which helps train immune cells, would increase human tolerance of the organ.

One pig kidney was transplanted, the other stored for comparison when the experiment ends. “You're always nervous,” Griesemer said.

One other trick: Surgeons attached the pig’s thymus to the transplanted kidney in hopes that the gland, which helps train immune cells, would increase human tolerance of the organ.

One other trick: Surgeons attached the pig’s thymus to the transplanted kidney in hopes that the gland, which helps train immune cells, would increase human tolerance of the organ.

But could pigs one day become keys to truly personalized medicine? WSJ’s Danny Lewis explores the promise and potential pitfalls of using animals to help human health.