The world’s first recipient of a genetically altered pig kidney has died after transplant surgery.
Richard Slayman, 62, died on Saturday, just two months after the procedure.
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Released from the hospital on April 6, Slayman reported having the “cleanest bill of health” he could remember, the local ABC News affiliate reported. WCVB.
There is currently no evidence to suggest that his death was related to the transplant.
Slayman underwent surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston on March 16 under Expanded Access Protocol “compassionate use” authorization.
This Expanded Access Protocol is only implemented when patients with serious life-threatening conditions have no other treatment options.
Read more in Scientific News
And the last option, genetically modified pig kidney, went to Slayman after a long history of medical conditions and complications.
He had lived with type 2 diabetes and hypertension for many years before being diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.
In 2011, the sick man underwent dialysis treatment and ended up being placed on the donor list.
Then, seven years later, he finally received a human kidney transplant in December 2018.
Unfortunately, just five years later, the transplanted kidney began to show signs of failure and he was placed back on dialysis in May 2023.
During his second round of dialysis, Slayman faced declotting and surgical revision every two weeks to address clotting complications.
Given the consistent complications and rapid failure of kidney function, his doctor suggested the possibility of a pig kidney transplant.
FOR A CAUSE BIGGER THAN HIM
After the surgery, Slayman provided some insight into his perspective on the operation, citing a calling greater than himself as to why he agreed to move forward with the transplant.
“I have been a patient at Mass General Transplant Center for 11 years and have the highest level of trust in the doctors, nurses and clinical staff who have cared for me,” Slayman said.
“When my transplanted kidney began to fail in 2023, I once again trusted my medical team at MGH to meet my goals of not only improving my quality of life, but also extending it.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND SLAYMAN’S TRANSPLANT
Mass General confirmed that the kidney was donated by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The pig donor’s genes were altered with CRISPR-Cas9 technology, a powerful genome editing tool that allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
It has many potential applications, including correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of disease, and improving crop growth and resilience.
This allowed scientists to replace dangerous pig genes with those that are more compatible with humans.
The researchers also “inactivated porcine endogenous retroviruses in the donor pig to eliminate any risk of infection in humans.”
Doctors in the operating room applauded when the animal’s kidney began functioning almost immediately, said transplant surgeon Tatsuo Kawai.
Leonardo Riella, medical director of kidney transplantation at MGH, said that although transplants are expensive, they often produce better results than dialysis for those who are in the final stages of kidney disease.
“It is clear that transplantation is much better at potentially reducing costs compared to dialysis, but without organs we cannot do it,” he said.
The discovery could offer hope for new ways to provide organs to patients who are often stuck on transplant lists for years.
Kidney failure affects about 750,000 individuals in the United States each year, with an estimated two million more worldwide, statistics from the University of California at San Francisco to reveal.
More than 100,000 Americans are on the waiting list for kidney transplants, and with end-stage kidney disease expected to rise by 2030, the revelation comes as a huge relief.
“I saw it not only as a way to help myself, but also as a way to give hope to the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” Slayman explained.
Dr. Winfred Williams, associate chief of the division of nephrology at MGH, provided additional medical information about why her need for a kidney was imminent enough to consider experimental treatment.
“He would have to wait five to six years for a human kidney. He wouldn’t have been able to survive,” he explained at the time.
Joren C. Madsen, Director of the MGH Transplant Center, reinforced the importance of Slayman’s contribution to medicine, further explaining how his consent to surgery and his courage would help advance the field and save lives.
“[The surgery] It would not have been possible without her courage and willingness to embark on a journey through unknown medical history,” said Madsen.
“Mr. Slayman becomes a beacon of hope for countless people suffering from end-stage kidney disease and opens a new frontier in organ transplantation.”
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