Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human patient, the hospital announced on Thursday. Here are details of the surgery.
Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a human patient, the hospital announced on Thursday.
The 62-year-old patient, Richard Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, had end-stage kidney disease, according to a press release from the hospital.
After receiving his first kidney transplant from a human donor in 2017, Slayman’s organ began failing again in May 2023, when he went on dialysis.
He received the pig kidney — which was genetically edited to make it more compatible with a human recipient and to eliminate the risk of infection.
Slayman is in recovery. He’s said to be doing well and is expected to return home soon.
“The success of this transplant is the culmination of efforts by thousands of scientists and physicians over several decades,” said Tatsuo Kawai, M.D., PhD, director of the Legorreta Center for Clinical Transplant Tolerance at Massachusetts General Hospital, in the release.
“We are privileged to have played a significant role in this milestone. Our hope is that this transplant approach will offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide who are suffering from kidney failure,” he also said.
