Pig kidney transplanted into living human for the first time
A genetically modified pig kidney has been successfully transplanted into a living human – and the recipient is expected to leave hospital soon
By Grace Wade
21 March 2024
The kidney transplant procedure is the first of its kind in a living person
Michelle Rose/MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
Surgeons have successfully transplanted a pig kidney into a 62-year-old man living with end-stage kidney disease. The recipient, Richard Slayman, is recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital soon, mere days after the surgery.
Is this the first ever pig kidney transplant?
This is the first time a pig kidney has been transplanted into a living human, which makes it a significant milestone in the field of xenotransplantation, or the transfer of animal organs to humans.
“The success of this transplant is the culmination of efforts by thousands of scientists and physicians over several decades,” said Tatsuo Kawai at Massachusetts General Hospital in a statement. “Our hope is that this transplant approach will offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide who are suffering from kidney failure.”
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Are genetically modified pig organs the future of transplants?
Strictly speaking, however, this isn’t the first ever pig-to-human kidney transplant. The procedure has been performed five times in the past, all in people who were declared brain-dead and kept on life support. The most recent of these took place in July 2023 by Robert Montgomery at NYU Langone Health and his colleagues. That kidney functioned for more than a month without signs of rejection or infection.
When did the surgery take place?
Kawai and his colleagues performed the surgery on 16 March. The procedure lasted 4 hours, and the kidney began producing urine and the waste product creatinine soon after, according to reporting by The New York Times. Slayman has also been able to stop dialysis, a further indication of the kidney’s proper functioning.
