The first person to undergo a genetically modified pig kidney transplant, Richard “Rick” Slayman, has passed away two months following the operation, according to the hospital where the procedure took place.
Slayman, aged 62, had been battling end-stage kidney disease prior to the transplant performed in March.
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) stated that there were no indications attributing his death to the transplant itself.
Despite previous failures with transplants of organs from genetically modified pigs, Slayman’s operation was celebrated as a significant advancement.
His health complications included Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and he had previously received a human kidney transplant in 2018, which began to fail after five years.
After the pig kidney transplant on March 16, Slayman’s doctors confirmed that he no longer required dialysis, indicating the success of the new organ.
MGH expressed deep sadness at his sudden passing and extended condolences to his family, acknowledging Slayman as a beacon of hope for transplant patients worldwide.
Slayman’s relatives highlighted his story as inspirational, noting his desire to offer hope to others in need of transplants.
They remembered him as a kind-hearted person with a sharp sense of humor and unwavering dedication to his loved ones.
While Slayman’s case marked the first successful pig kidney transplant into a human, previous attempts with pig heart transplants were unsuccessful, resulting in the recipients’ deaths within weeks. Immune rejection, a common risk in transplants, was observed in one of these cases.
Source-BBC
