Can a pig's liver or kidney be transplanted into humans?

No. At this point in time we havent yet been able to find ways to circumvent the immunological differences between human organ and organs from other species. Transplanting organs from other species is xenotransplantation. It has been tried, Chimpanzee kidneys have been transplanted into patients with renal failure. read more

Porcine islet cells of Langerhans have been injected into patients with diabetes. Pig neuronal cells have been transplanted into patients with permanent neurological problems. Organs from pigs have been the focus of much of the research, due to the physiologic similarities between pigs and human and nonhuman primates. read more

There are currently more than 5,500 people in Britain waiting for a transplant of a kidney, pancreas, heart, lungs, liver, or a combination of these organs. On average, adults have to wait more than 500 days for a new kidney. read more

Platt says that transplants from pigs might actually be safer than human-to-human transplants in the long run. “You can screen the organ in advance for infectious agents and other problems,” he says, a process for which there isn’t much time in today’s urgent human transplants. read more