Massachusetts man who received the world’s first gene-edited pig kidney transplant has died
The Massachusetts man who received the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically edited pig kidney died less than two months after the procedure, sources told NewsCenter 5. Richard Slayman of Weymouth underwent surgery at General Hospital of Massachusetts on March 16 and received a pig kidney with 69 genomic edits. The 62-year-old was released from Mass General on April 3 after weeks of recovery and said he was leaving the hospital “with one of the cleanest bills of health I’ve had in a long time.” Sources said there was no indication that Slayman’s death was related to the transplant. Slayman, who had lived with type 2 diabetes and hypertension for many years, had end-stage renal disease at the time of the pig kidney transplant. He previously received a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor in December 2018 after undergoing dialysis seven years earlier. His transplanted human kidney showed signs of failure approximately five years later, and Slayman resumed dialysis in May 2023. After resuming dialysis, Slayman encountered recurring dialysis vascular access complications requiring hospital visits every two weeks for declotting and revisions. surgical procedures, a common problem among dialysis patients that has significantly impacted their quality of life. Slayman said his nephrologist and the team at the MGH Transplant Center suggested a pig kidney transplant, carefully explaining the pros and cons of this procedure. “I saw this as not just a way to help myself, but a way to give hope to the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” Slayman said shortly after the procedure. The pig kidney was provided by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from a pig donor that was genetically edited using technology to remove harmful porcine genes and add certain human genes to improve its compatibility with humans. Mass General also said scientists deactivated porcine endogenous retroviruses in the donor pig to eliminate any risk of infection in humans. The procedure was performed under a single FDA Expanded Access Protocol – known as compassionate use – granted to a single patient or group of patients with serious illnesses. , life-threatening diseases or conditions to gain access to experimental treatments or trials when no comparable treatment options or therapies exist. Previous coverage:
The Massachusetts man who received the world’s first successful transplant of a genetically edited pig kidney died less than two months after the procedure, sources told NewsCenter 5.
Richard Slayman of Weymouth underwent surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital on March 16 and received a pig kidney with 69 genomic edits.
The 62-year-old was released from Mass General on April 3 after weeks of recovery and said he was leaving the hospital “with one of the best clean bills of health I’ve had in a long time.”
Sources said there is no indication that Slayman’s death was related to the transplant.
Slayman, who had lived with type 2 diabetes and hypertension for many years, had end-stage kidney disease at the time of the pig kidney transplant. He previously received a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor in December 2018 after undergoing dialysis seven years earlier.
His transplanted human kidney showed signs of failure approximately five years later, and Slayman resumed dialysis in May 2023. After resuming dialysis, Slayman encountered recurring complications with his dialysis vascular access, requiring hospital visits every two weeks for declotting and revisions. surgical procedures, a common problem among dialysis patients that has significantly impacted their quality of life.
Slayman said his nephrologist and the team at the MGH Transplant Center suggested a pig kidney transplant, carefully explaining the pros and cons of that procedure.
“I saw this not only as a way to help myself, but also as a way to give hope to the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” Slayman said shortly after the procedure.
The pig kidney was provided by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from a pig donor that was genetically edited using technology to remove harmful porcine genes and add certain human genes to improve its compatibility with humans. Mass General also said scientists deactivated porcine endogenous retroviruses in the donor pig to eliminate any risk of infection in humans.
The procedure was carried out under a single FDA expanded access protocol – known as compassionate use – granted to a single patient or group of patients with serious and life-threatening illnesses or conditions to gain access to experimental treatments or trials when there are no treatment options. or comparable therapies. exist.
