A 62-year-old man from Weymouth, Massachusetts, who was the first living person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant, has passed away nearly two months after the groundbreaking procedure took place at Massachusetts General Hospital in March.
The transplant team at the hospital expressed deep sadness over the death of the recipient, Richard “Rick” Slayman, and extended their condolences to his family. They clarified that there was no indication that his passing was directly linked to the transplant.
Slayman, who had previously undergone a kidney transplant in 2018, had to return to dialysis last year due to signs of kidney failure. When complications arose during dialysis, his doctors suggested the innovative pig kidney transplant as a potential solution.
His family expressed gratitude towards the medical team for their efforts, acknowledging that the xenotransplantation procedure provided them with seven more weeks with Slayman. They highlighted his motivation to offer hope to the thousands of individuals awaiting transplants, emphasizing that his legacy of hope and optimism will endure.
Xenotransplantation, the process of using animal cells, tissues, or organs to treat human patients, has faced challenges in the past due to immune system rejection. Recent advancements have focused on genetically modifying pig organs to make them more compatible with humans.
With over 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, predominantly kidney patients, and thousands losing their lives each year before receiving a transplant, innovative approaches like xenotransplantation offer potential solutions to address the critical shortage of organs for transplantation.
