The world’s first recipient of a genetically-modified pig kidney has passed away two months after the transplant. The 62-year-old man, Richard Slayman, had end-stage kidney disease, and underwent a four-hour-long kidney transplant on March 16, 2024, at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The successful surgery gave hope to patients and doctors that xenotransplantation, which is the transplant of organs or tissues from one species to another, could be a potential solution to the global organ shortage.
Slayman’s family, in a statement, disclosed that his decision to undergo the surgery was in part to inspire hope among the thousands requiring a transplant for survival, as reported by Massachusetts General Hospital.
Delving into the World of Xenotransplantation
The kidney, which was genetically modified, underwent 69 changes at the genomic level. The pig donor was subjected to genetic modifications using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Genes from the pig that could be harmful were eliminated, and specific human genes were inserted to enhance compatibility with humans.
The scientists who performed the genetic modification on the pig also rendered its endogenous retroviruses inactive, ensuring the recipient would not get any infection from the donor animal.
The pig kidney was supplied by eGenesis, a well-known pharmaceutical firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Slayman was under the care of the Massachusetts General Transplant Center for over a decade. He shared through a statement that his initially transplanted kidney began to deteriorate in 2023. As a result, his kidney specialist and the team from the Transplant Center proposed a pig kidney transplant.
For several years, Slayman had been managing his Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. His first kidney transplant was carried out in December 2018. Before this, he was dependent on dialysis for a span of seven years.
Five years post his initial kidney transplant, the organ began exhibiting signs of decline, leading him to return to dialysis in May 2023. Unfortunately, vascular access issues hindered the smooth execution of the dialysis, severely affecting his quality of life.
Yet, his life was rescued by the pig kidney transplant.
The hospital was allowed to use a unique Expanded Access Protocol from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), often referred to as compassionate use, because the patient was facing a deadly disease, and no other treatment methods could have saved his life. This protocol is typically provided to individuals suffering from severe, fatal illnesses, enabling them to access experimental procedures or trials when there are no equivalent treatment alternatives.
The medical team used innovative immunosuppressive medications like tegoprubat and ravulizumab on Slaymab.
According to a hospital statement, they have not found any evidence so far that suggests Slayman’s death resulted from complications related to the transplant.
