a century ago, where murals memorialize a once-thriving “

The FDA didn’t agree right away. Instead, the world’s first gene-edited pig kidney transplants went to two sicker patients last spring, at Massachusetts General Hospital and NYU. Both also had serious heart disease. The Boston patient recovered enough to spend about a month at home before dying of sudden cardiac arrest deemed unrelated to the pig kidney. NYU’s patient had heart complications that damaged her pig kidney, forcing its removal, and she later died.Those disappointing outcomes didn’t dissuade Looney, who was starting to feel worse on dialysis but, Locke said, hadn’t developed heart disease or other complications. The FDA eventually allowed her transplant at NYU, where Locke collaborated with Montgomery.

Moments after Montgomery sewed the pig kidney into place, it turned a healthy pink and began producing urine.Even if her new organ fails, doctors can learn from it, Looney told the AP: “You don’t know if it’s going to work or not until you try.”Pig kidney recipient Towana Looney stands with transplant surgeons Dr. Jayme Locke, left, and Dr. Robert Montgomery, center, at NYU Langone Health. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)

Pig kidney recipient Towana Looney stands with transplant surgeons Dr. Jayme Locke, left, and Dr. Robert Montgomery, center, at NYU Langone Health. (AP Photo/Shelby Lum)Blacksburg, Virginia-based Revivicor provided Looney’s new kidney from a pig with 10 gene alterations. Its parent company, United Therapeutics said Tuesday it plans to file an application with the FDA “very soon” to begin clinical trials with that type of kidney.

Looney was initially discharged on Dec. 6, wearing monitors to track her blood pressure, heart rate and other bodily functions and returning to the hospital for daily checkups before her medication readmission. Doctors scrutinize her bloodwork and other tests, comparing them to prior research in animals and

in hopes of spotting an early warning if problems crop up.Nnadi said Parsnip just needed to focus.

“You will see one little squirrel, he gone. He sees a little toy, he gone. He sees multiple people, he’s gone,” said Nnadi, who likes to refer to Parsnip as Parsnickety. “But the second we get that laser focus, he’s gonna be phenomenal.”“Puppy Bowl” is recorded in advance. Since its filming, Parsnip has been adopted, Mollentine said. The pup is now 7 months old.

Nnadi has been working for a few years to help get dogs into loving homes in the area by paying fees for more than 500 successful adoptions so far. He has partnered with organizations including The Humane Society and KC Pet Project.“I think it’s very important for a lot of these dogs that don’t really see or have an opportunity to have a forever home,” Nnadi said.