Surgeons Implant Pig Kidney Into First Living Human Patient

For the first time ever, doctors have transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into a human suffering from advanced kidney failure.

Such pig kidneys, altered to lower the risk of rejection and disease, have been successfully placed into monkeys and brain-dead human donor bodies.

• Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into a human patient suffering from advanced kidney failure, marking the first time this has been done.

• The pig kidney, provided by eGenesis, underwent 69 genetic edits to remove harmful pig genes and add beneficial human genes.

• Retroviruses in the pig donor were also inactivated to eliminate the risk of infection in humans.

• The recipient, Rick Slayman, 62, underwent a four-hour surgery and is recovering well, expected to be discharged soon.

• Slayman had type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, receiving a human kidney transplant in 2018 that began failing after five years, leading to dialysis and hospitalizations.

• The transplant was performed under a compassionate use waiver from the FDA, and Slayman received two new immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection.

• Slayman, who is Black, agreed to the transplant as a potential breakthrough for ethnic minority patients facing unequal access to kidney transplants due to organ shortages and systemic barriers.

• The genetically altered pig kidneys offer hope for addressing the organ shortage crisis, with over 100,000 people in the US awaiting organ transplants, primarily kidneys.

• More than 1,400 patients at MGH alone are on the kidney transplant waiting list, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions like xenotransplantation (transplanting organs from other species).

Massachusetts General Hospital, news release, March 21, 2024

Genetically edited pig kidneys could be the solution to a dire shortage of donor organs, which is costing people their lives every day.