As reported by Massachusetts General Hospital, where the surgery was performed in March, there is no evidence that death occurred as a result of the transplant. The man was 62 years old.
Richard Slaymanthe first person transplanted with a genetically modified pig kidney, died at the age of 62, two months after undergoing the xenotransplantation. Both the patient’s family and Massachusetts General Hospital, where he underwent surgery, reported the death last Saturday, although the medical center said there is no evidence the death occurred as a result of the kidney transplant.
After the operation, the medical team estimated that the xenotransplantation could work for two years. Born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, Slayman was the first living person to undergo the procedure in hopes of finding a new path for patients like him, stricken with kidney disease in terminal phase.
The operation took place on March 16 and lasted four hours, which was considered “a first-class milestone” in the search for rapidly available organs for patients.
He pig kidney used to be “edited with 69 genomes” through the use of CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which consists of eliminating potentially harmful pig genes and then adding human genes to make it compatible with a human body; In addition, the scientists deactivated endogenous pig retroviruses to minimize possible infections.
The donor pig was provided by a Massachusetts company called eGenesis, which specializes in transplants and the modification of animal organisms to make them compatible with humans, in a process known as “xenotransplantation” according to its web portal.
Patient Slayman, who suffered from type 2 diabetes and hypertension for years, already received a human kidney in December 2018, but five years later the transplanted kidney caused him problems and he had to return to dialysis, causing vascular problems that forced him to undergo dialysis every two underwent a hospital check-up for weeks, with a major impact on his personal life.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
