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Kidney transplant surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston

Photo: Michelle Rose / Massachusetts General Hospital / AP

A patient with a genetically modified pig kidney has become the first person in the world to be discharged from a hospital. About two weeks after his operation, the man is recovering well and will now continue to recover at home, said Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

According to the doctors, the pig kidney fulfills its vital functions in the recipient's body. It is said that it filters toxins from the blood, keeps body fluids in balance and produces urine.

“I have been waiting for this moment for many years,” said 62-year-old patient Richard Slayman upon his discharge, according to a statement from the hospital. “Now it has become a reality.” He is looking forward to a life “free from the burden of dialysis, which has impaired my quality of life.”

High need for donor kidneys

Scientists hope to use organs from animals to address the global shortage of human donors. Before a so-called xenotransplantation, the donor animals must be genetically adapted so that no pathogens are transmitted from their organs to the recipient and rejection reactions are avoided.

Two years ago, a pig organ, a heart, was transplanted into a human for the first time. The operation in Maryland, America, was considered a milestone in transplant medicine. However, about two months after the operation, the seriously ill man died. Another patient received a pig heart last year. He survived with the organ for almost six weeks.

The need for donated kidneys is particularly great worldwide. In the USA, half a million people suffer from kidney failure and are dependent on dialysis; in Germany, more than 80,000 people are affected. Many of them are waiting for organ donation.

Despite the success in Boston, it will take time for xenotransplantation to become routine. So far they have been based on exemptions from the responsible US drug authority. In order to obtain medical approval, extensive clinical studies are necessary, which can take several years.

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