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A surgical team at Massachusetts General Hospital has conducted the world's first genetically edited pig kidney transplant into a living human. Surgeons successfully connected the pig kidney's blood vessels and ureter to those of 62-year-old Richard Slayman. Mr. Slayman suffers from end-stage kidney disease, and is reportedly recovering well after the surgery.
Richard Slayman had been living with type 2 diabetes and hypertension for many years. He previously underwent a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor in 2018 but experienced kidney failure again in 2023. This required him to return to dialysis.
A Breakthrough in Treatment
The procedure is hailed as a major advancement in the quest for more readily available organs for patients in need. Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, a member of the surgical team, emphasized the collaborative effort of scientists and physicians over several decades. He also expressed hope that this transplant approach could offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide suffering from kidney failure.
The pig kidney used in the transplant was provided by eGenesis, a pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, and was genetically edited using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This involved removing harmful pig genes and incorporating certain human genes to enhance compatibility and reduce the risk of rejection. Additionally, retroviruses found in pigs were inactivated to mitigate the risk of infection in humans.
Future of Care
While this is not the first instance of animal-to-human organ transplantation, previous attempts have faced challenges. The success of this procedure brings hope for addressing the organ shortage crisis. However, questions remain regarding the long-term efficacy, safety, and ethical implications of using genetically edited animal organs for transplantation.
There are over 103,000 people on the national transplant waiting list, and 17 people die each day while waiting for an organ transplant. The potential of these innovative procedures to save lives is significant. Successful outcomes could alleviate the need for dialysis in the more than 500,000 individuals in the U.S. who rely on it to survive.
The groundbreaking achievement at Massachusetts General Hospital represents a crucial step forward in the field of organ transplantation, offering hope to countless patients awaiting life-saving treatments.
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