Richard “Rick” Slayman, who made history at age 62 as the first person to receive a kidney from a genetically modified pig, died about two months after the procedure.
Massachusetts General Hospital, where Mr. Slayman underwent surgery, said in a statement Saturday that its transplant team was “deeply saddened” by his death. The hospital said there was “no indication that this was a result of his recent transplant.”
Mr. Slayman, who was black, suffered from end-stage kidney disease, a condition that affects more than 800,000 people in the United States, according to the federal government, with disproportionately higher rates among black people.
There are far too few kidneys available for donation. Nearly 90,000 people are on the national kidney waiting list.
Mr. Slayman, a state Department of Transportation supervisor from Weymouth, Massachusetts, had received a human kidney in 2018. When he began to fail in 2023 and developed congestive heart failure, his doctors suggested he try one made from a modified pig.
“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,” he said in a hospital press release in March.
His operation, which lasted four hours, was a medical milestone. For decades, proponents of so-called xenotransplantation have proposed replacing diseased human organs with those of animals. The main problem with this approach is the human immune system, which rejects animal tissues as foreign, often leading to serious complications.
Recent advances in genetic engineering have allowed researchers to modify the genes of animal organs to make them more compatible with their recipients.
The pig kidney that was transplanted into Mr. Slayman was designed by eGenesis, a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Scientists removed three genes and added seven more to improve compatibility. The company also inactivated retroviruses carried by pigs that could be harmful to humans.
“Mr. Slayman was a true pioneer,” eGenesis said in a statement. statement on social networks Saturday. “His courage helped chart a path forward for current and future kidney failure patients.” »
Mr. Slayman was released from the hospital two weeks after his operation, with “one of the most clean bill of health I’ve had in a long time,” he said at the time.
In a statement released by the hospital, Mr. Slayman’s family said he was kind, quick-witted and “fiercely devoted to his family, friends and colleagues.” They said they were very reassured to know that his case had inspired so many people.
“Millions of people around the world have come to know Rick’s story,” they said in the release. “We felt – and still feel – comforted by the optimism he brought to patients who were desperately waiting for a transplant. »
News Source : www.nytimes.com
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