Kidney Scorecard Provides New Information on Kidney Genetics

In late February, Towana Looney, 53, returned home to Alabama with normal kidney function 3 months after receiving a pig kidney xenotransplant at New York University (NYU) Langone Health in New York City."I feel blessed," said Looney in a statement released by NYU Langone Health, where she received the transplant (1)."I'm so grateful to be alive and thankful to have received this incredible gift.It couldn't have happened without God and the amazing team of doctors, nurses, and researchers who have been by my side."Looney had donated a kidney to her mother in 1999 but later developed kidney failure as a result of preeclampsia during pregnancy.She began dialysis in 2016 and joined the waiting list for a transplant in 2017 but had been unable to find a match due to a high level of sensitization.She was also developing heart and vascular complications from longterm dialysis.Looney was able to receive the xenotransplant under an expanded access application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), filed by Jayme Locke, MD, MPH, who at the time was treating Looney as a transplant surgeon at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).