NEW YORK (AP) — Doctors in Boston have transplanted a pig kidney into a 62-year-old patient, the latest experiment in the quest to use animal organs in humans.

On Thursday, Massachusetts General Hospital announced that a living person received a transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney for the first time. In the past, pig kidneys were only temporarily transplanted into brain-dead donors. Two men also received heart transplants from pigs, but unfortunately both passed away within a few months.

According to doctors, Richard “Rick” Slayman from Weymouth, Massachusetts, is making a good recovery after undergoing surgery last Saturday. They anticipate that he will be discharged in the near future, as stated on Thursday.

According to Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, the surgeon who performed the transplant, the team is confident that the pig kidney will function for a minimum of two years. In the event of failure, kidney specialist Dr. Winfred Williams stated that Slayman could resume undergoing dialysis treatment. Dr. Williams also mentioned that unlike the critically ill pig heart recipients, Slayman is in good overall health.

In 2018, Slayman received a new kidney at the hospital through a transplant surgery. Unfortunately, last year, the transplanted kidney began to fail and he had to resume dialysis. Due to complications with the dialysis, Slayman’s doctors recommended a kidney transplant from a pig. In a statement provided by the hospital, Slayman shared this information.

Slayman, a systems manager for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, described how the opportunity to donate was not only a personal benefit but also a means of giving hope to the countless individuals in need of a transplant to survive.

According to doctors at a news conference, the transplant procedure lasted four hours and involved 15 people in the operating room. They reported that the audience applauded when the transplanted kidney began producing urine and turned pink. Kawai expressed that it was the most stunning kidney she had ever witnessed.

According to Dr. Parsia Vagefi, who is the head of surgical transplantation at UT Southwestern Medical Center, the recent announcement is a significant advancement. However, he also stated that further studies with larger patient samples and at multiple medical centers would be necessary for it to be widely accessible, similarly to what the Boston doctors had mentioned.

The recent experiment is a step forward in xenotransplantation, which aims to treat human patients using animal cells, tissues, or organs. In the past, this method was unsuccessful as the human immune system would attack the foreign animal tissue. However, recent efforts have focused on genetically modifying pigs to make their organs more similar to humans, giving hope that they could potentially address the shortage of donated organs.

Over 100,000 individuals are currently on the country’s transplant waiting list, predominantly comprised of those awaiting kidney transplants. Tragically, thousands of these patients pass away each year before they are able to receive their transplant.

Throughout history, pigs have played a significant role in human medicine. They have been utilized for skin grafts and the insertion of heart valves. However, when it comes to transplanting entire organs, the process becomes much more intricate as it involves the use of highly refined tissue. In the case of Slayman’s kidney implant, it was supplied by a company called eGenesis, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The pig donor had undergone genetic editing to eliminate potentially harmful pig genes and incorporate specific human genes to enhance compatibility.

Doctors stated that Slayman’s situation was difficult. Prior to receiving his initial transplant, he faced difficulties with dialysis and underwent numerous procedures in attempts to eliminate clots and resume blood flow. According to his kidney specialist, Dr. Williams, Slayman became increasingly hopeless and unhappy with his dialysis care. At one point, he openly expressed, “I am unable to continue living like this.”

The Food and Drug Administration granted special authorization for Slayman’s transplant under the guidelines of “compassionate use”.

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