Surgeons perform historic transplant. Photo Credit: Massachusetts General Hospital
At Massachusetts General Hospital, doctors completed the very first pig-to-human kidney transplant. The patient, Rick Slayman was on dialysis for several years and diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. For 11 years, Slayman was part of the hospital’s transplant program. After being informed of the xenotransplant option, Slayman chose to bravely become the first patient to receive a gene-edited kidney from a pig. “I saw it not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” Slayman shared in a statement. The surgery took four hours and was completed by a team of 15 people on March 16th. To date, Mr. Slayman continues to maintain a healthy recovery. To help suppress any reactions against pig tissue, two pharmaceutical companies designed and provided new antibody drugs (without cost).
Shortly after the surgery, the kidney began to function normally, producing urine. Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, one of the lead surgeons who performed the operation, stated, “It was truly the most beautiful kidney I have ever seen.” Similarly, surgeons in China managed to successfully transplant a genetically edited pig’s liver into a brain-dead patient.
Like the kidney transplant at Mass General Hospital (MGH), the pig liver was able to remain in sync and function normally in a living, human body. Whether these medical milestones lead to more frequent pig-to-human transplants remains unknown. Last year, a patient who received a pig’s heart died only six weeks after his transplant surgery. Xenotransplantation therapy is a growing, heavily researched field and considered a viable option for the millions around the world who either wait for human organs or remain on dialysis, trying to buy more time.
Nursing Specialist first removes pig kidney. Photo Credit: Massachusetts General Hospital
To help end the global organ shortage, in the future, xenotransplantation may involve any kind of animal organ transfer into humans; not just pigs. eGenesis is the biotech startup which developed and provided the gene-edited pig’s kidney for the breakthrough surgery at MGH. In a news release, Dr. Michael Curtis (the CEO of eGenesis) explained, “This successful procedure heralds a new era in medicine…and realize our vision that no patient dies waiting for an organ.” Adding, “We are humbled by the courage and generosity of this patient, who is a true pioneer, enabling this major breakthrough in science and transplant medicine.”
