Researchers think a combination of genetic edits and an experimental immunosuppressive drug could make the first pig kidney transplant a long-term success.
Richard Slayman made history on March 16 by becoming the first living person to receive a genetically edited pig kidney. This week, the 62-year-old Massachusetts resident reached another milestone by being discharged from the hospital after his groundbreaking procedure. Now comes the hard part: making sure his transplanted organ keeps working. Slayman was on dialysis for end-stage kidney disease when he underwent the four-hour surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.
For one, he says, Slayman was relatively healthy when he underwent the surgery. He qualified for a human kidney but because of his rare blood type he would likely need to wait six to seven years to get one. The two individuals who received pig heart transplants were so ill that they didn't qualify for a human organ.
Gene Editing Crispr/Cas9 Biotech Animals
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