The first recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney died nearly two months after undergoing the procedure, according to NBC News.
The family of Richard Slayman, who underwent the transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital in March at age 62, announced on Saturday that he had died. Slayman was the first living person to undergo the procedure. Despite, Slayman’s family thanked the doctors in a statement for giving their familiy “seven more weeks with” him.
The family said Slayman underwent the surgery in part to give hope to the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive. Slayman underwent a kidney transplant at the hospital in 2018, but had to return to dialysis last year when he showed signs of failure. When complications from dialysis arose that required frequent treatments, doctors suggested a kidney transplant from a pig.
The transplant team at Massachusetts General Hospital said they were deeply saddened by Slayman’s passing and offered condolences to his family. They said they have no indication that he died as a result of the transplant.
Xenotransplantation refers to treating human patients with cells, tissues or organs from animals. Such attempts have long failed because the human immune system immediately destroyed foreign animal tissue. Recent attempts have involved pigs that have been modified to make their organs more similar to human organs.
The Organ Procurement and Transplant Network say nearly 90,000 people are currently waiting for a kidney transplant. Williams says people with certain blood types can wait an average of six to seven years for a kidney, and too often it doesn’t come in time.
