A US hospital announced on Thursday that a team of surgeons had achieved a groundbreaking feat: successfully transplanting a genetically engineered pig kidney into a living human for the first time.
The procedure, conducted on Saturday, involved a 62-year-old man with end-stage kidney illness at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
According to MGH, the four-hour surgery signifies a significant step forward in addressing organ shortages worldwide.
Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, a member of the surgical team, expressed hope that this approach would provide a lifeline to millions of kidney failure patients globally.
The pig kidney used in the transplant underwent genetic modification to eliminate harmful pig genes and incorporate specific human ones.
The patient, Richard Slayman, is reported to be recovering well and is expected to be discharged soon.
Slayman, who has type 2 diabetes and hypertension, had previously received a human kidney transplant in 2018, which began to fail after five years, necessitating dialysis.
Slayman’s decision to undergo the pig kidney transplant was driven not only by personal benefit but also by the desire to inspire hope for others in need of transplants.
The hospital believes that this surgery will particularly benefit ethnic minorities, who face a higher incidence of kidney illness.
Dr. Winfred Williams, Slayman’s nephrologist, emphasized the potential of this technological advancement to address health disparities and provide a lasting solution for kidney failure patients.
This groundbreaking procedure falls within the realm of xenotransplantation, a rapidly evolving field.
While pig kidney transplants had been performed on brain-dead individuals previously, Slayman is the first live recipient.
In recent cases, two individuals in the United States received pig heart transplants, although their survival was limited to less than two months each.
