Although transplant procedures with organs from genetically modified pigs have failed earlier, the operation on Slayman was hailed as a historic milestone. Reportedly, the 62-year-old man also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years. According to a BBC report, after the pig transplant in March, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was functioning properly. 

Xenotransplantation is a procedure in which living cells, tissues or organs are transplanted from one species to another.

It is noteworthy that although Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure. Two other patients have received pig heart transplants. However, those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later. In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

First person to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant dies nearly 2 months later

NEW DELHI: Richard "Rick" Slayman, a 62-year-old man from Massachusetts, passed away nearly two months after receiving a genetically modified pig kidney transplant at Massachusetts general hospital in March.
The transplant team expressed their deep sadness at Slayman's passing and offered their condolences to his family, stating that they had no indication that his death was a result of the transplant.

Slayman was the first living person to undergo this procedure, following previous temporary transplants of pig kidneys into brain-dead donors and two unsuccessful pig heart.

 

 

 

Slayman had previously received a kidney transplant at the same hospital in 2018, but the organ began to fail last year, requiring him to return to dialysis. When complications arose necessitating frequent procedures, his doctors suggested a pig kidney transplant as an alternative. Slayman's family expressed their gratitude to his doctors in a statement, saying, "Their enormous efforts leading the xenotransplant gave our family seven more weeks with Rick, and our memories made during that time will remain in our minds and hearts."
The family also noted that Slayman underwent the surgery in part to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive, stating, "Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever." Xenotransplantation, the process of healing human patients with cells, tissues, or organs from animals, has long been a challenge due to the human immune system's immediate rejection of foreign animal tissue. Recent attempts have involved genetically modified pigs whose organs are more humanlike.