A 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease has received a kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig. The surgery, which took place on March 16 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is the first successful animal-to-human transplant of its kind and could provide a new source of organs for patients in need. The patient, Richard Slayman from Weymouth, Massachusetts, had previously received a human kidney transplant in 2018 which failed after five years, requiring him to resume dialysis treatments.
The kidney was provided by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from a pig that had been genetically edited to remove genes harmful to a human recipient and add certain human genes for better compatibility. The company also inactivated viruses inherent to pigs that have the potential to infect humans. Drugs were used to help prevent rejection of the pig organ by the patient’s immune system, including an experimental antibody called tegoprubart developed by Eledon Pharmaceuticals. Although the surgery is a significant milestone in xenotransplantation, experts are keenly interested in long-term results.
Dr. Jim Kim, director of kidney and pancreas transplantation with USC Transplant Institute in Los Angeles, said that the field “is marching closer to becoming an alternative source of organs for the many hundreds of thousands suffering from kidney failure.” According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. await an organ for transplant, with kidneys in the greatest demand.