A Breakthrough in Organ Transplantation
In a groundbreaking medical procedure, a 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease has received a kidney from a genetically modified pig, marking a significant advancement in the field of xenotransplantation. The successful surgery was conducted by a team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on March 16 and lasted four hours.
Richard Slayman, the recipient from Weymouth, Massachusetts, is reportedly recovering well and is expected to leave the hospital soon. This isn’t Slayman’s first transplant; he previously received a human kidney in 2018 after spending seven years on dialysis. Unfortunately, that organ failed after five years, necessitating his return to dialysis treatments.
The kidney for this latest transplant was provided by eGenesis, a biotech company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The pig used for the transplant had undergone genetic editing to eliminate harmful genes and incorporate human ones to boost compatibility. This also included deactivating certain pig viruses that could pose a risk to human health.
Previous research involving kidneys from similarly edited pigs transplanted into monkeys showed promising results, with the animals surviving for an average of 176 days, and in one case, over two years. These findings were published in the journal Nature.
To minimize the risk of organ rejection, the medical team used an experimental antibody called tegoprubart, developed by Eledon Pharmaceuticals. The use of this drug is part of the ongoing efforts to refine the process of xenotransplantation, which experts like Dr. Robert Montgomery of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute believe is edging closer to providing a viable alternative source of organs.
With over 100,000 people in the U.S. on the organ transplant waiting list and kidneys being the most sought-after organ, this surgical milestone could herald a new era in transplantation medicine. While NYU surgeons have previously transplanted pig kidneys into brain-dead patients, and a University of Maryland team attempted a pig heart transplant in January 2022, the field eagerly anticipates FDA authorization for clinical trials to optimize these life-saving procedures for patients in need.
