In what could be described as a groundbreaking medical procedure and first of its kind, a 62-year-old man, Richard Slayman, became the first human to receive a genetically modified pig kidney at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
The surgery, which took place in Boston, had surgeons within four hours, successfully transplanted the kidney into the man, whose kidney had failed and had been on dialysis.
New York Times report reports that the indications are encouraging so far and if the breakthrough is successful, it is expected to be a ray of hope for people suffering from kidney failure.
According to his nephrologist, Dr Winfred Williams, the associate chief of the nephrology division at the facility also known as Mass General, the patient’s condition has been steadily improving since the surgery was carried out over the weekend.
Joren C. Madsen, MD, DPhil, Director of the MGH Transplant Center, said, “The real hero today is the patient, Mr Slayman, as the success of this pioneering surgery, once deemed unimaginable, would not have been possible without his courage and willingness to embark on a journey into uncharted medical territory.
“As the global medical community celebrates this monumental achievement, Mr. Slayman becomes a beacon of hope for countless individuals suffering from end-stage renal disease and opens a new frontier in organ transplantation,”
The new kidney has already started producing urine, which is an encouraging sign of progress.
