Recently, American doctors have performed the first transplant of a genetically modified kidney from a pig into a living human at Massachusetts General Hospital, US. The patient, Rick Slayman, a 62-year-old man, had been diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease. After the transplant, he is now recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital soon.
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Doctors have said that they believe that his new kidney could last years but also acknowledged that there are many unknown factors in animal-to-human transplants. Experts say xenotransplants (transplants of animal organs into people) are crucial to solving the organ shortage. This is the third transplant of a pig organ into a living human. The first two were hearts transplanted into living people who had run out of other transplant options. However, both of these patients did not survive for too long after their respective heart transplants.
Did You Know?
Massachusetts General Hospital was also the first 2 hospitals to perform a kidney transplant in 1954.
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