Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital perform a groundbreaking procedure (Photo: Massachusetts General Hospital)
Doctors in Boston have performed the world's first kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig to a human.
The kidney was removed from the pig and transplanted into a 62-year-old man who had end-stage renal disease.
The miraculous operation was performed by surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital on March 16 and took four hours to complete.
The operation proved to be a breakthrough in making organs more readily available to patients and marked a major turning point for the medical community.
The success of this attempt could offer hope to the more than 100,000 people in the United States waiting for an organ for transplant.
Approximately 17 people die each day while waiting for an organ transplant.
The first man to receive a kidney from a pig that had been genetically edited in 69 places said he hoped his operation would “give hope to thousands of people who need a transplant to survive.”
The patient, Richard Sulaiman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, who underwent this groundbreaking surgery, discussed the pros and cons of receiving a pig kidney transplant with his team at the transplant center.
Suleiman said his kidney failure began in 2023 and that he has full confidence in his team at Massachusetts General Hospital “to achieve my goal of not only improving my quality of life but extending it.”
“The real hero today is our patient, Mr. Suleiman,” said Jolene C. Madsen, MGH Transplant Center director.
“The success of this pioneering surgery, once unimaginable, would not have been possible without his courage and willingness to embark on a journey into uncharted medical territory.”
