Pig kidneys could solve donor shortage, according to US trial 

Should the US Food and Drug Administration give approval, the trial will be expanded to involve 44 further pig kidney transplants. File picture

A leading surgeon behind a clinical trial of transplanting pig kidneys into living humans has said they could one day be superior to those from human donors.

Dr Robert Montgomery, the director of NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute, said the first transplant of the trial had already been carried out, with another expected to take place in January. Six patients are expected to receive the pig organs, which have been gene-edited in 10 places to reduce rejection by the human body.