Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into Richard Slayman in March 2024, the first such operation in a living recipient. Slayman died about two months later, and the hospital said there was no indication the transplant caused his death; further research is needed to establish safety and lasting effectiveness.
TLDR: In 2024, Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into a living patient, a first for xenotransplantation. The recipient died about two months later, with the hospital reporting no indication the transplant caused his death. The case offered research insights but cannot establish long-term safety or effectiveness.
In March 2024, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital transplanted a genetically edited pig kidney into a living patient, marking a milestone in efforts to address the shortage of human donor organs. The recipient, 62-year-old Richard Slayman, had end-stage kidney disease and had previously received a human kidney transplant. The operation was the first known transplant of a pig kidney into a living person, following years of research in animals and earlier experiments involving human recipients who had been declared brain-dead.
Unlike a conventional transplant from a human donor, the procedure involved a cross-species match: human immune defenses can recognize pig-cell molecules as foreign and attack the organ. Genetic engineering aims to blunt those reactions, but it cannot guarantee acceptance. Recipients still require close clinical monitoring and immune-suppressing medication, which can also affect their ability to fight infections.
The kidney came from a pig raised by biotechnology company eGenesis. Researchers made 69 genomic edits: they removed pig genes associated with immune rejection, added human genes intended to improve compatibility, and inactivated pig viruses that might pose a risk to a human recipient. The changes addressed several potential barriers at once, including the risk that the immune system would rapidly damage the organ. They could not eliminate the possibility of rejection, infection or other complications, and doctors would need to assess how well the kidney worked over time.
Slayman had received a human kidney transplant in 2018, but that organ later failed. He returned to dialysis, a treatment that filters waste from the blood, and experienced complications that made treatment difficult. Dialysis can sustain people with kidney failure, but it requires repeated treatment and does not replace all of a healthy kidney’s functions. The transplant team said the experimental procedure offered a potential alternative for patients with few options. Slayman was discharged from the hospital on April 3, less than three weeks after the surgery.
The procedure built on a wider field known as xenotransplantation, which studies the transfer of organs between species. Pig organs are considered possible candidates because pigs are relatively easy to breed and their organs are similar in size to human organs. Earlier research has tested genetically modified pig hearts and kidneys in nonhuman primates and in people who were brain-dead, allowing scientists to observe organ function without the same conditions as a living-patient transplant. Those studies could not establish how an organ would perform in a living recipient facing the demands of daily life or how long it might last.
Slayman died on May 11, about two months after the operation. Massachusetts General Hospital said there was no indication that his death resulted from the transplant. His death underscored that a landmark operation is not the same as evidence that a new treatment is safe or effective over the long term. A single case also cannot establish how often such organs will be rejected, how long they may function, or which patients might benefit. The hospital’s statement did not establish that the pig kidney caused his death.
For researchers, the case provided information about whether an edited pig kidney could function in a living person and how the recipient responded. The transplant team and eGenesis described the operation as a step toward studying the approach in more patients, while recognizing that further testing would be needed. Follow-up research will need to track kidney performance, immune responses and possible infections over longer periods, as well as complications related to treatment. Researchers will also need to compare outcomes with existing options, including dialysis and human-donor transplants. If those studies show reliable results, pig organs could eventually expand the supply of transplants; for now, the procedure remains experimental.
Susan Carter serves as a Senior Correspondent for Just Right News, where she leads the network’s comprehensive coverage of Health, Medicine, and Public Policy. With a career dedicated to dissecting the complexities of the American healthcare system, Susan brings a principled perspective to the most pressing debates of the day. Her reporting is characterized by a commitment to individual liberty, fiscal responsibility, and a healthy skepticism of government overreach, making her a vital voice for audiences seeking clarity in an increasingly regulated landscape.
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