The first man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) said on Sunday.
Sixty-two-year Richard Slayman was suffering from end-stage kidney disease before undergoing the procedure in March. MGH added that there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.
Slayman’s operation was a milestone as it was the first time the process was successful after several failed attempts. His doctors had affirmed he no longer required dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning properly.
The deceased was also battling Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. It was his second transplant, having had a human kidney transplant in 2018.
“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.
Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story inspired them. They said, “To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers.”
While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ used in a transplant procedure.
Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those operations were unsuccessful, as the recipients died a few weeks later.