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BOSTON. — The first man to receive a genetically modified kidney transplant from a pig has been discharged from hospital.
The 62-year-old was sent home on Wednesday, two weeks after the ground-breaking surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Organ transplants from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past.
But the success of this procedure so far has been hailed by scientists as a historic milestone in the field of transplantation.
The news was shared in a press release on Wednesday by MGH, which is Harvard Medical School’s largest teaching hospital in the US city of Boston.
In the release, the hospital said the patient, Richard “Rick” Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, had been battling end-stage kidney disease and required an organ transplant.
His doctors successfully transplanted a genetically-edited pig kidney into his body over a four-hour-long surgery on 16 March.
They said Mr Slayman’s kidney is now functioning well and he is no longer on dialysis.
In a statement, Mr Slayman said being able to leave hospital and go home was “one of the happiest moments” of his life.
“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.”
The team behind the transplant hailed it as a historic step that can provide a potential solution to the world’s organ shortage, especially to those from ethnic minority communities whom the shortage disproportionately affects.
“An abundant supply of organs resulting from this technological advance may go far to finally achieve health equity and offer the best solution to kidney failure — a well-functioning kidney — to all patients in need,” said Winfred Williams, Mr Slayman’s doctor at MGH. — BBC.
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