The groundbreaking procedure that made history by giving the first man a genetically modified kidney transplant from a pig has resulted in his discharge from the hospital last week.
Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, who had been battling end-stage kidney disease, is now free from dialysis after the innovative surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the largest teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
How successful was the pioneering pig kidney transplant?
Slayman had end-stage renal disease, rendering his kidneys unable to function independently. After being on dialysis from 2011 to 2018, he underwent his initial kidney transplant from a human donor at MGH.
However, the transplanted kidney began failing about five years later, leading Slayman to resume dialysis in May 2023. This resulted in complications typical of dialysis patients, necessitating frequent hospital visits for interventions that impacted his quality of life.
The “gene-edited” pig kidney, provided by eGenesis, a biotech company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was engineered to be more compatible with the human body by removing harmful pig DNA and incorporating human DNA.
Just two weeks after the four-hour procedure on March 16, Slayman was deemed fit to return home.
In a statement released by MGH on April 3, Slayman described leaving the hospital with a clean bill of health as one of the happiest moments of his life.
This procedure exemplifies “xenotransplantation,” the transfer of organs between different species.
The FDA approved the transplant through a single Expanded Access Protocol, or “compassionate use,” allowing experimental treatments for patients in need.
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