The first man to successfully receive a genetically modified kidney transplant from a pig has been discharged from the hospital.
Reports from BBC News revealed that the 62-year-old was sent home on Wednesday, March 3, after undergoing two weeks of surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
However, it appeared to be the first successful organ transplant from genetically modified pigs. In the past, transplants from pigs have failed, and the accomplishment of this procedure has set a historic milestone in the field of transplantation.
Following the press release that was shared on Wednesday, March 3 by MGH, Harvard Medical School’s teaching hospital in the US city of Boston, disclosed that the patient, Richard “Rick” Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts has been battling with kidney disease and requires an organ transplant to save his life.
With the urgency to save his life, doctors successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig’s kidney into his body after a lengthy four-hour-long surgery that took place on the 16th of March 2024.
Reports show that Mr Slayman’s kidney is functioning perfectly and is no longer on dialysis.
Speaking, Mr Slayman revealed that being able to leave the hospital to his home after the success of the surgery, is one of the happiest moments of his life.
According to him; “I’m excited to resume spending time with my family, friends, and loved ones free from the burden of dialysis that has affected my quality of life for many years.
Mr Slayman also spoke on his experience of a human kidney transplant from a deceased donor in 2018, which however began to fail last year not until the doctors brought up the idea of a pig kidney transplant.
“I saw it not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” he said.
