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.
