A man with end-stage renal disease, who earlier this year became the first human to receive a new kidney from a genetically modified pig, has died, according to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“The Mass General transplant team is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Mr. Rick Slayman,” the hospital stated on Saturday. “We have no indication that it was the result of his recent transplant.”
Rick Slayman, 62, from Weymouth, Massachusetts, received the transplant in March during a four-hour surgery. At the time, the hospital described it as “a major milestone in the quest to provide more readily available organs to patients.”
“Our family is deeply saddened about the sudden passing of our beloved Rick but take great comfort knowing he inspired so many,” Slayman’s family expressed in a statement.
In 2018, Slayman had received a human kidney transplant at the same hospital after seven years on dialysis. However, the organ failed after five years, necessitating the resumption of dialysis treatments.
The kidney used in the recent transplant was provided by eGenesis, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The pig had been genetically modified to remove genes harmful to humans and to add human genes for better compatibility. Additionally, the company inactivated pig viruses that could potentially infect humans.
Kidneys from similarly edited pigs raised by eGenesis had been successfully transplanted into monkeys, which survived for an average of 176 days, with one case extending beyond two years, as reported in the journal Nature in October.
Drugs used to prevent rejection of the pig organ by Slayman’s immune system included an experimental antibody called tegoprubart, developed by Eledon Pharmaceuticals.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. await organ transplants, with kidneys being in the greatest demand.
Previously, NYU surgeons had transplanted pig kidneys into brain-dead individuals. In January 2022, a University of Maryland team transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into a 57-year-old man with terminal heart disease, but he died two months later.
