The US institution that performed the treatment said that the first living recipient of a kidney transplant from a genetically engineered pig had passed away.
“Mass General is shocked and saddened by Mr. Rick Slayman’s unexpected demise. His recent transplant appears not to have been the cause, the Boston hospital stated in a statement released late on Saturday.
In a first for the world, a 62-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease received a kidney from a genetically altered pig. In March, they completed the four-hour procedure with success.
“Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” the statement read. Global organ shortages are a persistent issue, and in March, a Boston hospital reported that over 1,400 patients were waiting for a kidney transplant.
According to the hospital, the Massachusetts biotech business eGenesis supplied the pig kidney that was utilized for the transplant. It had been altered to add certain human genes and eliminate some detrimental pig genes. Slayman had a human kidney transplanted in 2018, but it failed five years later. Slayman has Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.