Surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City had to remove a genetically modified pig kidney from Towana Looney, 53, of Gadsden, Ala., because her body rejected the organ. She's back on dialysis.

An Alabama grandmother who was the first patient to receive a new kind of genetically modified pig kidney more than two months ago is now the longest surviving recipient of a pig organ.

Surgeons transplanted a kidney and thymus gland from a gene-edited pig into a 54-year-old woman in an attempt to extend her life. It's the latest experimental use of animal organs in humans.

Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital said they transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into a living human for the first time. The 62-year-old recipient has end-stage kidney disease.

Scientists are optimistic that gene-edited animals could provide a new source of organs for transplantation. Pig organs modified to minimize rejection are now being tested in humans.