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Updated Thursday, April 4, 2024-08:19
Health US surgeons transplant a genetically modified pig kidney into a living patient for the first time
The first man transplanted with a genetically modified pig kidney was discharged in Boston, USA, this Wednesday, two weeks after the intervention,
The New York Times
reported .
Richard Slayman
, 62, was operated on by surgeons at
Massachusetts General Hospital
on March 16 in an
operation that lasted four hours
, and after discharge, he will continue his recovery at home.
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Transplants.
This dwarf pig kidney with 69 genetic modifications is making history
Editor: GABRIELA BALAREZO
This dwarf pig kidney with 69 genetic modifications is making history
According to his doctors' report, the kidney Slayman received "produces urine, removes waste products from the blood, balances body fluids, and performs other key functions."
The result is an important milestone for medicine and
makes it easier for patients to find organs
, the medical center said in a statement after the operation.
Experiments with organ transplants from modified pigs had failed until before Slayman's intervention.
Two patients received hearts, but
died
shortly afterwards
.
"This moment - leaving the hospital today with one of the cleanest clean bill of health I have had in a long time - is one I have wished would come for many years. It is now a reality and
one of the happiest of my life
," Slayman said in a statement.
Richard Slayman, with the medical team.Massachusetts General Hospital
In the writing, the man also thanked his doctors and the people who have accompanied him and have been interested in his story.
"Especially to patients waiting for a kidney transplant.
Today marks a new beginning not only for me, but also for them
," he said.
It is still uncertain whether Slayman's body will eventually reject the transplanted organ, and experts say that for
xenotransplants
(transplants between different species) to become widely available, more similar operations and clinical studies need to be carried out.