In the US, doctors transplanted a pig kidney to a patient (62). The procedure was performed for the first time in the world, the hospital in Boston announced on Thursday.
This is a “milestone” in providing donor organs for seriously ill patients. The pig kidney was genetically modified before the transplant. According to the hospital, genes that are harmful to humans have been removed and certain human genes have been added.
Recipient Richard Slayman, 62, is recovering “well” and is expected to be released from the hospital soon. The American suffered from advanced kidney disease and recently had to undergo dialysis. He had already received a human donor kidney in 2018, but it started to fail last year.
Patient: “Procedure gives hope”
Previously, pig kidney transplants were only performed in people who were already brain dead. In these cases, the genetically modified pig kidney had performed its functions normally. The 62-year-old has now said he didn’t just agree to the procedure ‘to help myself’. This procedure gives hope to ‘thousands of people who need a transplant to survive’.
In fact, the shortage of donor organs is a problem worldwide. At Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) alone, more than 1,400 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.
Medical research is therefore increasingly using animal organs. The branch of research is called xenotransplantation. Doctors in the US had also implanted pig hearts in two people for the first time since 2022. However, both died within two months of the operation.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
