In a groundbreaking medical achievement, a surgical team at Massachusetts General Hospital has successfully conducted the world's first genetically edited pig kidney transplant into a living human. The four-hour procedure took place earlier this month and involved connecting the pig kidney's blood vessels and ureter to those of 62-year-old Richard Slayman, who has been living with end-stage kidney disease. Slayman is currently recovering well, according to the hospital.

This major milestone is expected to revolutionize organ transplantation by making organs more readily available for patients in need. The success of the transplant is the result of the collaborative efforts of thousands of scientists and physicians over several decades, stated Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, a member of the surgical team.

Slayman, a resident of Weymouth, had been battling Type 2 diabetes and hypertension for many years. After undergoing a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor in 2018, his kidney began to fail about five years later, forcing him to resume dialysis in May 2023. This had a significant impact on his quality of life.

Expressing his gratitude, Slayman shared, "I saw [the procedure] not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive."

During a press conference, the staff at Massachusetts General commended Slayman's courage and hailed him as a hero. Dr. Joren Madsen, the director of the Mass General Transplant Center, emphasized that this surgery, once deemed unimaginable, would not have been possible without Slayman's willingness to embark on this groundbreaking medical journey.

The pig kidney used in the transplant was provided by eGenesis, a pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge. The kidney had been genetically edited using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, wherein harmful pig genes were removed and certain human genes were incorporated to enhance compatibility with humans and potentially reduce rejection. Additionally, scientists inactivated retroviruses found in pigs to minimize the risk of infection in humans.

While animal organ transplantation into humans is not new, the use of genetically edited animal organs raises questions about their long-term efficacy, safety, and ethical implications of raising animals for human organ transplantation.

The success of this procedure brings hope to over 103,000 individuals currently on the national transplant waiting list, with someone being added to the list every eight minutes and 17 people dying each day waiting for an organ transplant. Furthermore, the potential success of these genetically edited pig kidney transplants could eliminate the need for dialysis for over 500,000 Americans who currently rely on it to survive, according to a September 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

This groundbreaking achievement paves the way for further advancements in the field of organ transplantation, offering a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide suffering from kidney failure.