image source, Massachusetts General Hospital
Mr. Rik Suleiman (seated) poses for a photo with his partner and team of doctors
The first man to receive a genetically engineered kidney transplant from a pig has been discharged from hospital.
The 62-year-old returned home Wednesday, two weeks after the groundbreaking surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
Organ transplants from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past.
But the success of the procedure so far is being hailed by scientists as a historic milestone in the field of transplantation.
The patient, Richard “Rick” Suleiman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, was battling end-stage kidney disease and required an organ transplant, the hospital said in a statement.
Doctors successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig kidney into his body on March 16 after a four-hour surgery.
They said Suleiman's kidneys are now functioning well and he is no longer undergoing dialysis.
Suleiman said in a statement that being discharged from hospital and returning home was “one of the happiest moments” of his life.
“I am excited to be free from the burden of dialysis, which has affected my quality of life for many years, and to be able to spend time with my family, friends, and loved ones again.”
A human kidney transplant from a deceased donor in 2018 started failing last year, and doctors floated the idea of a pig kidney transplant.
“I thought it was a way to not only help me, but also give hope to the thousands of people who need transplants to survive,” he said.
The new pig kidneys he received were processed by Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company EGenesis to “remove harmful pig genes and add specific human genes to increase compatibility with humans.” It is said to have been altered.
The hospital has a history of performing the world's first successful human organ transplant (kidney) in 1954, and has collaborated with EGenesis on xenotransplantation (interspecies organ transplant) for the past five years. He said that he referred to a study conducted by him. .
image source, Massachusetts General Hospital
Pig kidneys have been genetically modified to fit the human body
The procedure was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, which provided a single expanded access protocol (also known as compassionate use) used to grant access to experimental treatments to patients with life-threatening illnesses. .
The team behind the transplant hailed it as a historic step that could offer a potential solution to the global organ shortage, particularly for people from ethnic minority communities, which are disproportionately affected by the shortage.
Winfred Williams, Mr. Suleiman's physician at MGH, said: “The abundant supply of organs resulting from this technological advancement will ultimately help us achieve health equity and provide the best solution to kidney failure – the ability of the kidneys to function properly. “It has the potential to be available to all patients who need it to function.” .
More than 100,000 Americans are in need of life-saving organ transplants, according to data from the US nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing.
Meanwhile, the number of donors in 2023 (including deceased and living donors) was just under 23,500.
It is estimated that 17 people die every day in the United States while waiting for an organ donation, and kidneys are the most common organ needed for transplantation.
Although this is the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ used in a transplant surgery.
In one case, there were signs that the patient's immune system had rejected the organ, a common risk with transplants.
