Boston Area Man Is First to Receive Genetically Modified Pig Kidney

Richard Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, has become the first person in the world to have a genetically modified pig kidney transplanted into his body. The transplant took place at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on March 16.

The surgery took 4 hours, and 15 people were present in the operating room. Tatsuo Kawai, MD, PhD, the transplant surgeon, said the team believes the pig kidney will function for at least 2 years.

Slayman, 62, previously received a human kidney transplant from a deceased donor in December 2018, also at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, that kidney began to fail in 2023, requiring him to go back on dialysis.

The pig kidney for Slayman’s latest transplant was provided by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The US Food and Drug Administration gave special permission for the transplant under “compassionate use” rules.

Other xenotransplantation efforts through the years have failed because the human immune system quickly destroyed foreign animal tissue. More recent attempts, including Slayman’s transplant, have involved genetically modifying pigs’ genes to make their organs more compatible with humans.

“The success of this transplant is the culmination of efforts by thousands of scientists and physicians over several decades,” Dr. Kawai said. “Our hope is that this transplant approach will offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide who are suffering from kidney failure.”